Yesterday evening in Nigeria, #EndSars Vigil Services to honour some of the lives unjustly taken by SARS operatives were held by the youth of Nigeria across the nation. A week full of peaceful protesting has been a moment of sober reckoning in Nigeria, and across the world, about the violence incited by SARS on innocent civilians, and a call to action for police reform and policy change in Nigeria.
Hey guys! We hope you’ll join us on Friday evening to hold a vigil service for those we lost unjustly to SARS Operatives! Abuja will also be holding one & we hope this can become a nationwide vigil to mourn all the lives we lost prior to and during this fight! pic.twitter.com/pnheAzzaJ8
— Ash (@AshleyOkoli) October 14, 2020
Peaceful protesters gathered in the evening to light candles, give eulogies and pay respect to those who we have lost. Names of some of the victims of SARS brutality and violence were read out and a moment of silence was given to honour them.
Video showing the candle light 🕯 happening at the #EndSARS protest ground in Alausa , Ikeja Lagos state pic.twitter.com/O7xqeEtGYG
— Naija wants to #EndSARS (@Naija_PR) October 16, 2020
During this moment of reckoning, it is important to note the pattern that SARS officials, and other units in the police force, have displayed. There has been a sheer disregard for the lives of Nigerians. Linda Igwetu was celebrating getting a job and finishing up NYSC when she was shot in her car by police officer Benjamin Peters with her friends in 2018. Kehinde Idowu was a 17-year-old buying food for his family was shot and killed by a stray bullet when SARS officers were harassing others on the street. Chinedu Obi wanted a refund from a phone seller. When the shop owner called the police, he was arrested and taken to Sango-Ota police station. He died there.
pH candle light protest#ALutaContinua pic.twitter.com/1xoEf9DUDv
— #EndSARS#EndSWAT🗣️🗣️🙅🙅🔱 (@IamConFiWhyte) October 16, 2020
These are just some of the victims we know and are aware of. Many others have slipped through the cracks of the police system and have not been documented. On Twitter, people shared numerous stories of family members, loved ones and friends who were picked up by SARS officers and simply disappeared into thin air. And yet, no justice has been served. Their bodies have not been seen and police officers responsible for these crimes continue to maintain their posts.
When government officials and other news outlets ask ‘what it will take’ to stop these peaceful protests, they fail to understand the severity of what is at stake. Nigeria is a country with few checks and balances that work- or at least work when they need to. Innocent people have died and their families have had to live with that trauma. They’ve had to live with that silence from the government and police officers. They’re expected to keep being good citizens and obeying the order of the day. They’re required to believe in a country that has shown that it doesn’t value them.
This is why people are protesting: for justice. Nigerian youth want justice. They want a government that acknowledges and sees us as viable citizens. So while the peaceful protests continue to occur across the nation, it is important that the names of these victims are shown and documented. For the names of those who have been ‘lost’ in the system, this peaceful protest is still for them. Say their names.
