State Violence and Social Responses to It: The Case of the Nigerian End SARS Movement

Abstract

In response to yet another act of abuse of power by a member of the Nigerian SARS police unit, where one of its officers shot a young, non-resisting man, the country witnessed another, and this time the largest, wave of protests. Initially, the protests demanded the dissolution of the unit and action against police brutality. However, over time, the protesters’ slogans expanded beyond these issues to include calls for broader reforms of the entire state and its democratic institutions.

In this article, the author analyzes the Nigerian social movement End SARS using Manuel Castells’ theory of networked movements from Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age. This will allow us to portray how contemporary social movements fight for redefining the status quo by simultaneously protesting and using social media. The analysis of the movement’s trajectory, key actors, and the tools it employed to operate and fight for its goals raises broader questions about social change in the 21st century and the role technology plays in shaping such movements. I will also present the context of police brutality in modern Nigeria, which has led to the start of the protests. Moreover, I will present the consequences of the End SARS movement and their impact on social reality in Nigeria.