#EndSARS Is a Nigerian Social Media Movement Calling Out Chilling Incidents of Police Brutality

Nigerians took to Twitter over the weekend to demand the end of SARS or the Special Anti-Robbery Squad—a special branch of the Nigeria police that fights violent crime.

Using the hashtags #EndSARS and #EndSARSNow, these countless stories show that SARS has been doing everything but protecting citizens, from Nigerians being held at gunpoint, robbed and kidnapped, to being arrested without charge, forced to pay bribes and even shot by the unit.

Inspector General of Police Ibrahim K. Idris NPM has responded to the online outcry, stating his concern and directing the immediate reorganization of SARS, as well as an investigation into the allegations made against the unit. You can read the whole statement here.

However, Nigerians are skeptical and think this statement is a chess move for eventual radio silence and inaction.

Amnesty International's 2016 report on SARS reveals troubling findings, showing that "detainees, both men and women, are subjected to various methods of torture and ill-treatment in order to extract information and 'confessions.' Such methods include severe beating, hanging, starvation, shooting in the legs, mock executions and threats of execution." You can find the full report here.