1. What is the news?
1.1. Protests against police brutality in Nigeria expanded into resistance against the country’s politicians,government and corruption
1.1.1. The movement began online with the hashtag #EndSARS which later spilled out on the street of the country.
2. What is the SARS unit?
2.1. Nigeria created a Special Anti-Robbery Squad called SARS in 1984, to deal with rising cases of violent crimes in the country.
2.1.1. .With time the agency got powerful and acted without accountability.
2.1.1.1. Several of its officers were accused of torture,ill treatment and extra judicial executions.
3. How did the Present movement start?
3.1. A video was leaked on the social media which showed killing of a man by a SARS officer in the town of Ughelli.
3.1.1. The Nigerian government did not just deny the accusation but it also arrested the man who filmed the video.
3.1.1.1. This increased the public anger against the government and a movement driven by the youth,using the hashtag #EndSARS began on social media.
3.1.1.1.1. Demonstrations also erupted in several cities and towns demanding the Nigerian government dismantle the SARS police unit.
4. What happened at Lekki ?
4.1. On October 20, protestors were engaged in a peaceful demonstration in the affluent Lekki district of the capital Lagos.
4.1.1. The protestors were suppressed by the military and curfews were imposed.
4.1.1.1. Protestors were also shot at by the military personnel which injected violence into the peaceful protests.
4.1.1.1.1. This deployment of military and the suppression by the govt, increased the hostility towards the government.
5. What are the protestors demanding ?
5.1. 1. To investigate charges of impunity and the lack of accountability enjoyed by the SARS unit.
5.2. 2. End to practice of corruption and bribery.
5.3. 3. Most corrupt and violent officers of the SARS unit be fired altogether to clean up the system.
6. What is the government’s response ?
6.1. The government has banned demonstrations in the capital Lagos and placed restrictions on several social media platforms
6.1.1. that were being used by the protestors to spur the movement.