The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

| Peer-Reviewed

The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka

Published in Journal of Political Science and International Relations (Volume 6, Issue 1)

Received: 3 February 2023 Accepted: 27 February 2023 Published: 9 March 2023

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

On October 8, 2020, sequel to a viral video where a young Nigerian was shot and dragged out of a vehicle by officials of SARS, who drove off with the vehicle; Nigerian youths trooped to the streets of Lagos and Abuja etc.; within days it has spread throughout Southern Nigerian with the youths demanding for the end of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with the hastag: #EndSARS. Within two weeks it had metamorphosed to a number of other hashtags: #EndBadGovernment, #EndCorruption, #LekkiMassacre and others. On October 20, 2020, soldiers of the Nigerian Army, confronted the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos and opened fire point blank on Flag waving and National Anthem singing young Nigerians, killing scores of them. This drew condemnation and outcry in Nigeria and all over the world. Given that the extra-judicial killing of Yusuf Mohammed in 2007 triggered off the Boko Haram insurgency and the killings of IPOB members has also militarised IPOB: killed two DSS officials in Enugu, five Soldiers and scores of police personnel in Obigbo during the post-#EndSARS riot. This paper using the Marxian Post-Colonial State Theory, argues that the method of the #EndSARS protest; its non-visible collegiate leadership and the involvement of young people who are not under and influenced by the commodity mediating Nigerian post-colonial state, will lead to the resolution of the contradiction of the Nigerian state: from a Post-colonial state to a more inclusive state. The study used the qualitative method of study, with secondary data collection and content analysis to analyse data generated.

Published in	Journal of Political Science and International Relations (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
Page(s)	16-29
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

#EndSARS, Nigerian Army, Nigeria 2023 Election, #LekkiMassacre Lagos, Nigerian State

References

[1]	Abati, R. (2020). Lekki Massacre: Forensic Analysis Shows Videos Were Genuine. https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/item/19591-lekki-massacre-forensic-analysis-shows-videos-were-genuine?s=09. Retrieved 10/11/20.
[2]	Adichie, C. N. (2020, October 21). Nigeria is murdering its Citizens: Under President Muhammadu Buhari, there is a sense that the country could burn to the ground. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/opinion/chimamanda-adichie-nigeria-protests.html?s=09#click=https://t.co/JpCEZpaQwF. Retrieved 15/11/2020.
[3]	Adeniyi, O. (2020, October 24). Lekki and the Blood Stained Flag. Abatimedia. https://www.reubenabati.com.ng/index.php/component/k2/item/19748-opinion-lekki-and-the-blood-stained-flag-olusegun-adeniyi/post?s. Retrieved 05/11/20.
[4]	Ake, C. (1981). A Political Economy of Africa. New York: Longman Inc.
[5]	Aljazeera. (2020, May 5). Dozens of Boko Haram, ISWAP fighters killed in Nigeria. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/5/dozens-of-boko-haram-iswap-fighters-killed-in-nigeria.
[6]	Alavi, H. (1972). The State in Post-Colonial Societies: Pakistan and Bangladesh. R Retrieved on 19/11/20 from https://newleftreview.org/issues/i74/articles /hamza-alavi-the-state-in-post-colonial-societies-pakistan-and-bangladesh
[7]	Amnesty International. (2016). ‘You have Signed your Death Warrant’ Torture and other ill Treatment by Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Https://Www.Amnesty.Org/Download/Documents/Afr4448682016english.Pdf. Retrieved 24/11/20.
[8]	Amuta, C. (2020, November 15). EndSARS: Quit the Clampdown, Face the Inequality. This day, the Sunday Newspapers.
[9]	Andrew, S., Nevin, A. S., Agbedana, O., Omosomi, O & Asuzu. D. (2019). The Strength from Abroad-the Economic power of Nigeria Diaspora.
[10]	Bakare, T. (2020, October 25). #EndSARS protests, a tip of the iceberg. Vanguard Nigeria. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/10/endsars-protests-a-tip-of-the-iceberg-%e2%80%95-tunde-bakare/amp/#click=https://t.co/bT2fi1gbxy. Retrieved 10/11/20.
[11]	Burns, S & Owen, O. (2019, August). Nigeria: No longer an oil state? Oxford Martin School Working Paper. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/Nigeria_Oil_WP_final_130 819.pdf
[12]	Busari, S., Elbagir, N., Mezzofiore, G. & Polglase, K. (2020, November 18). “The Pointed their Guns at us and Started Shooting. Cable Network News. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/11/18/africa/lagos-nigeria-lekki-toll-gate-feature-intl/index.html?utm_source=fbCNNi&utm_campaign=africa&utm_medium=social&. Retrieved 22/11/20.
[13]	Dabiri-Erewa, A. (2020, January 15). Nigeria: Diaspora Remittances, Catalyst for Development. Retrieved from https://allafrica.com/stories/202001150511.html.
[14]	Darlington, N. (2020, November 20). EndSARS: 730 petitions and counting over police brutality. Dataphyte. Retrieved from https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/endsars/endsars-730-petitions-and-counting-over-police-brutality/.
[15]	Ekekwe, E. (1986). Class and States in Nigeria. London: Longman.
[16]	Enyiazu, C. (2018). Federalism and the Resurgence of Biafra Separatist Movements in Nigeria. A Paper Presented at the South-East Nigeria Political Science Association (NPSA) Conference at University of Nigeria, Nsukka (29-30th October, 2018).
[17]	Enyiazu, C., Nnamani, K. E. Ugwu, A. O., Agbo, J. N & Akilo, J. A. (2020). Enforcement of the COVID-19 protocols and the emerging human security crises in Nigeria. A Paper Presented at the 2020 virtual international conference organized by the faculty of the social sciences, university of Nigeria, Nsukka (27-28th October, 2020).
[18]	Essien, H. (2020, November 27). Feminist Coalition, #EndSARS, Radio Isiaq’s websites blocked in Nigeria-the websites are being targeted under yet unclear legal circumstances. Peoples Gazette. https://peoplesgazette.com/feminist-coalition-endsars-radio-isiaqs-websites-blocked-in-nigeria/?s. Retrieved 31/11/20.
[19]	Fadakintwe, M. M. (2013). The Nature and Character of the Nigerian State: Explaining Election Crisis in a Peripheral State. British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. V- Vol. 12, No. 11, 275-284.
[20]	Folorunsho-Francis, A. (2020, November 22). We’re not allowed to release bodies of #ENDSARS p Protesters — Mainland Hospital. Punch Newspaper. https://punchng.com/were-not-allowed-to-release-bodies-of-endsars-protesters-mainland-hospital/. Retrieved 30/11/20.
[21]	Forrest, A. (2020, October 30). End SARS Protests: UK Police Trained ‘Brutal’ Nigerian Security Forces Equipment to Nigeria’s ‘Brutal’ Police Unit. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/end-sars-nigeria-protests-security-forces-uk-police-training-b1254970.html. Retrieved 24/11/20.
[22]	Fukuyama, F. (2020). The Pandemic and Political Order-It Takes a State. Foreign Affairs. July/August 2020 Volume 99, Number 4.
[23]	Galadima, B. (2020, November 8). Buhari’s regime setting stage for revolution. Punch. ttps://punchng.com/buharis-regime-setting-stage-for-revolution-buba-galadima/. Retrieved 15.11.20.
[24]	George, L. & Carsten, P. (2020, November 30). Threats, detentions and frozen assets: Nigeria's Protesters depict pattern of intimidation. Reuters. Retrieved 31/11/20. https://www.yahoo.com/news/threats-detentions-frozen-assets-nigerias-110521674.html.
[25]	Ibekwe, N. (2020, October 31). INVESTIGATION: Bullets, Blood & Death: Untold Story of what happened at Lekki Toll Gate. ICiR. https://www.icirnigeria.org/investigation-bullets-blood-death-untold-story-of-what-happened-at-lekki-toll-gate.
[26]	International Crisis Group. (2020, October 26). Nigeria’s #EndSARS Protest: De-escalate Tensions, Start Deep Police Reform. International Crisis Group. Retrieved from https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria/nigerias-endsars-protest-de-escalate-tensions-start-deep-police-reform.
[27]	Kenechi, S. (2020, December 17). #EndSARS: DJ Switch to address ICC on ‘accountability in Nigeria’. Retrieved from https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/endsars-dj-switch-to-address-icc-on-accountability-in-nigeria/.
[28]	Kolawole, S. (2020, November 15). The Crackdown on EndSARS Activist. Thisday, the Sunday Newspaper.
[29]	Kperogi, F. A. (2020, October 24). Buhari’s Trumpian Propaganda to cover up the Lekki Massacre. https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2020/10/buharis-trumpian-propaganda-to-cover-uup.html?m=1#.X5OqknFoMsE.twitter. Retrieved 30/10/20.
[30]	Kukah, M. (2020, October 25). #EndSARS a sanitiser to flush out bad politicians. The Cable. https://thecable.ng/kukah-endsars-a-sanitiser-to-flush-out-bad-politicians? Retrieved 10/11/20.
[31]	Malumfashi, S. (2020, October 22). Nigeria’s SARS: A brief history of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad. Aljazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/features/2020/10/22/sars-a-brief-history-of-a-rogue-unit?__twitter_impression=true.
[32]	Mbembe, A. (2001). On The Postcolony. California: University of California. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press- releases/postcolonial-state. Retrieved on 19/11/20.
[33]	Nelson, C. J. (2020, October 23). Witnesses of the Military Shooting in Nigeria Tell Us What They Saw. VICE World News. https://vice.com/en/contributor/nelson-cj. Retrieved 30/11/20.
[34]	Nwanze, C. (2014). A History of Nigeria’s Police Service. Retrieved from https://africasacountry.com/2014/04/historyclass-nigerias-police?s=09.
[35]	Nworah, F. C. (2020, November 15). EndSARS Protest: Nigeria’s Debacle or Golden Opportunity to attain Greatness. Thisday, the Sunday Newspaper.
[36]	Odumakin, Y. (2020, November 7). All Ingredients of Major Conflict are here. Tribune. https://tribuneonlineng.com/all-ingredients-of-a-major-conflict-are-here-afenifere- spokesman-odumakin/amp/?s. Retrieved 15/11/20.
[37]	Odunsi, W. (2020, October 30). Nigeria Police: We trained SARS operatives, supplied equipment – UK Daily post. https://dailypost.ng/2020/10/30/nigeria-police-we-trained-sars-operatives-supplied-equipment-uk/? Retrieved 15/11/20.
[38]	Okoli, R. N. (2018). Strategies of Boko Haram and IPOM in Nigeria’s Post-Colonial: A Critique. AfriHertage Research Working Paper, 2018-006. https://www.africapotal
[39]	Olaopa, T. (2020, November 15). Nigeria’s #EndSARS Protest as a Revolutionary Moment. Punch Newspaper.
[40]	Olukomaiya, F. (2020, November 7). #EndSARS: Youths threaten second wave of protest from Monday. PM News. Retrieved from https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/11/07/endsars-youths-threaten-second-wave-of-protest-from-mon/.
[41]	Oluwasanjo, A. (2020, December 11). Our investigation confirmed Nigerian military committed war crimes: ICC Prosecutor. Retrieved from https://peoplesgazette.com/ just-in-our-investigation-confirmed-nigerian-military-committed-war-crimes-icc- prosecutor/.
[42]	Onuoha, F. C. (2014, June). Why Do Youth Join Boko Haram? Special Report by the United States Institute of Peace, 348. Retrieved from www.usip.org.
[43]	Oyero, K. (2020, November 19). Nigeria’s potential not oil but young people –UN. Punch Newspapers. https://punchng.com/nigerias-potential-not-oil-but-young-people un/?amp=. Retrieved 25/11/2020.
[44]	Ouellette, K. (2020, November 9). Dozens Killed Protesting Police Brutality in Nigeria. The Organization for World Peace. https://theowp.org/dozens-killed-protesting-police-brutality-in-nigeria/. Retrieved 30/11/2020.
[45]	Parkinson, J., Hinshaw, D. & Akingbule, G. (2020, October 23). Young Nigerians Came to P Protest Police Brutality. Then the Shooting Started: Witnesses recount how soldiers fired live rounds against peaceful protests, an incident that deepened distrust between young Nigerians and the government. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/young-nigerians-came-to-protest-police-brutality-then-the-shooting-started-11603452187. Retrieved 15/11/20.
[46]	Princewill, M. (2020, October 26). Over 30,400 Nigerians killed in SARS custody in 16 years: Report. Peoples Gazette. https://peoplesgazette.com/over-30400-nigerians-killed-in-sars-custody-in-16-years-rreport/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost. Retrieved 15/11/20.
[47]	Rai, S. (1996). The Postcolonial State- Feminist Analyses of the Postcolonial state https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/postcolonial-state Retrieved on 19/11/20.
[48]	Richard A. Joseph, R. A. (2020, October 31). Will the Lekki Toll Gate atrocity change Nigeria? Tribune. https://tribuneonlineng.com/will-the-lekki-toll-gate-atrocity-change-nigeria /amp/#click=https://t.co/SbbqmyrH10. Retrieved 15/11/20.
[49]	Royal, D. (2020, October 11). Five major things to know about SARS dissolution. Vanguard Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/10/five-major-things-to-know-about-dissolution-of-sars/.
[50]	Ryback, J. & Malpas, A. (2020, November 16). Totally unacceptable: Nigeria criticised for protest response. AFP. https://www.yahoo.com/news/totally-unacceptable-nigeria-criticised-protest-182355992.html. Retrieved 18/11/20.
[51]	SARS Update. (2020, October 12). Five demands from #EndSARS protesters. Vanguard Newspaper. Retrieved from https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/10/five-demands-from-endsars-protesters/.
[52]	Ṣẹ̀san, G. (2020). When Police Brutality and Digital Rights Collide – Lessons from Nigeria. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2020/11/30/when- police-brutality-and-digital-rights-collide--lessons-from-nigeria/?sh=2be2a29f3ecd.
[53]	Soniyi, T. (2020, November 15). History of Policing in Nigeria. Thisday, the Sunday Newspaper.
[54]	Stultz, N. M. (2015). Evolution of the United Nations Anti-Apartheid Regime. In Young, T. Ed. (2015). Readings in the International Relations of Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
[55]	Welby, J. (2020, October 26). A Time for Heroes in Nigeria. This Day. https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/speaking-writing/articles/time-heroes-nigeria-archbishop-justin-welbys-article-thisday?s=09. Retrieved 10/11/20.
[56]	Yusuf, K. (2020, October 25). ♯END SARS: Protest spread across 23 state of the country. Premium Times.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka. (2023). The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 6(1), 16-29. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka. The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State. J. Polit. Sci. Int. Relat. 2023, 6(1), 16-29. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka. The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State. J Polit Sci Int Relat. 2023;6(1):16-29. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13,
  author = {Enyiazu Chukwuemeka},
  title = {The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State},
  journal = {Journal of Political Science and International Relations},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {16-29},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jpsir.20230601.13},
  abstract = {On October 8, 2020, sequel to a viral video where a young Nigerian was shot and dragged out of a vehicle by officials of SARS, who drove off with the vehicle; Nigerian youths trooped to the streets of Lagos and Abuja etc.; within days it has spread throughout Southern Nigerian with the youths demanding for the end of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with the hastag: #EndSARS. Within two weeks it had metamorphosed to a number of other hashtags: #EndBadGovernment, #EndCorruption, #LekkiMassacre and others. On October 20, 2020, soldiers of the Nigerian Army, confronted the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos and opened fire point blank on Flag waving and National Anthem singing young Nigerians, killing scores of them. This drew condemnation and outcry in Nigeria and all over the world. Given that the extra-judicial killing of Yusuf Mohammed in 2007 triggered off the Boko Haram insurgency and the killings of IPOB members has also militarised IPOB: killed two DSS officials in Enugu, five Soldiers and scores of police personnel in Obigbo during the post-#EndSARS riot. This paper using the Marxian Post-Colonial State Theory, argues that the method of the #EndSARS protest; its non-visible collegiate leadership and the involvement of young people who are not under and influenced by the commodity mediating Nigerian post-colonial state, will lead to the resolution of the contradiction of the Nigerian state: from a Post-colonial state to a more inclusive state. The study used the qualitative method of study, with secondary data collection and content analysis to analyse data generated.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State
AU  - Enyiazu Chukwuemeka
Y1  - 2023/03/09
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
T2  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JF  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JO  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
SP  - 16
EP  - 29
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-2785
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
AB  - On October 8, 2020, sequel to a viral video where a young Nigerian was shot and dragged out of a vehicle by officials of SARS, who drove off with the vehicle; Nigerian youths trooped to the streets of Lagos and Abuja etc.; within days it has spread throughout Southern Nigerian with the youths demanding for the end of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with the hastag: #EndSARS. Within two weeks it had metamorphosed to a number of other hashtags: #EndBadGovernment, #EndCorruption, #LekkiMassacre and others. On October 20, 2020, soldiers of the Nigerian Army, confronted the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos and opened fire point blank on Flag waving and National Anthem singing young Nigerians, killing scores of them. This drew condemnation and outcry in Nigeria and all over the world. Given that the extra-judicial killing of Yusuf Mohammed in 2007 triggered off the Boko Haram insurgency and the killings of IPOB members has also militarised IPOB: killed two DSS officials in Enugu, five Soldiers and scores of police personnel in Obigbo during the post-#EndSARS riot. This paper using the Marxian Post-Colonial State Theory, argues that the method of the #EndSARS protest; its non-visible collegiate leadership and the involvement of young people who are not under and influenced by the commodity mediating Nigerian post-colonial state, will lead to the resolution of the contradiction of the Nigerian state: from a Post-colonial state to a more inclusive state. The study used the qualitative method of study, with secondary data collection and content analysis to analyse data generated.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka

Department of Political Science, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka. (2023). The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 6(1), 16-29. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka. The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State. J. Polit. Sci. Int. Relat. 2023, 6(1), 16-29. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Enyiazu Chukwuemeka. The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State. J Polit Sci Int Relat. 2023;6(1):16-29. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13,
  author = {Enyiazu Chukwuemeka},
  title = {The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State},
  journal = {Journal of Political Science and International Relations},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {16-29},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jpsir.20230601.13},
  abstract = {On October 8, 2020, sequel to a viral video where a young Nigerian was shot and dragged out of a vehicle by officials of SARS, who drove off with the vehicle; Nigerian youths trooped to the streets of Lagos and Abuja etc.; within days it has spread throughout Southern Nigerian with the youths demanding for the end of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with the hastag: #EndSARS. Within two weeks it had metamorphosed to a number of other hashtags: #EndBadGovernment, #EndCorruption, #LekkiMassacre and others. On October 20, 2020, soldiers of the Nigerian Army, confronted the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos and opened fire point blank on Flag waving and National Anthem singing young Nigerians, killing scores of them. This drew condemnation and outcry in Nigeria and all over the world. Given that the extra-judicial killing of Yusuf Mohammed in 2007 triggered off the Boko Haram insurgency and the killings of IPOB members has also militarised IPOB: killed two DSS officials in Enugu, five Soldiers and scores of police personnel in Obigbo during the post-#EndSARS riot. This paper using the Marxian Post-Colonial State Theory, argues that the method of the #EndSARS protest; its non-visible collegiate leadership and the involvement of young people who are not under and influenced by the commodity mediating Nigerian post-colonial state, will lead to the resolution of the contradiction of the Nigerian state: from a Post-colonial state to a more inclusive state. The study used the qualitative method of study, with secondary data collection and content analysis to analyse data generated.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The October 2020 #EndSARS Protest and the Transformation of the Nigerian State
AU  - Enyiazu Chukwuemeka
Y1  - 2023/03/09
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
T2  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JF  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
JO  - Journal of Political Science and International Relations
SP  - 16
EP  - 29
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-2785
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20230601.13
AB  - On October 8, 2020, sequel to a viral video where a young Nigerian was shot and dragged out of a vehicle by officials of SARS, who drove off with the vehicle; Nigerian youths trooped to the streets of Lagos and Abuja etc.; within days it has spread throughout Southern Nigerian with the youths demanding for the end of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) with the hastag: #EndSARS. Within two weeks it had metamorphosed to a number of other hashtags: #EndBadGovernment, #EndCorruption, #LekkiMassacre and others. On October 20, 2020, soldiers of the Nigerian Army, confronted the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos and opened fire point blank on Flag waving and National Anthem singing young Nigerians, killing scores of them. This drew condemnation and outcry in Nigeria and all over the world. Given that the extra-judicial killing of Yusuf Mohammed in 2007 triggered off the Boko Haram insurgency and the killings of IPOB members has also militarised IPOB: killed two DSS officials in Enugu, five Soldiers and scores of police personnel in Obigbo during the post-#EndSARS riot. This paper using the Marxian Post-Colonial State Theory, argues that the method of the #EndSARS protest; its non-visible collegiate leadership and the involvement of young people who are not under and influenced by the commodity mediating Nigerian post-colonial state, will lead to the resolution of the contradiction of the Nigerian state: from a Post-colonial state to a more inclusive state. The study used the qualitative method of study, with secondary data collection and content analysis to analyse data generated.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download