Six years after the historic #EndSARS protests shook Nigeria, survivors, families of victims, and civil society groups say the promises of reform remain largely unfulfilled.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) marked the anniversary with a stark reminder: “Changing the name of a police unit is not institutional reform,” said Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma. “Nigeria owes victims and their families more than remembrance. It owes them truth, justice, effective remedies and guarantees of non-recurrence.”
The #EndSARS protests of October 2020 began as a demand to abolish the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), but quickly grew into a nationwide movement against police brutality, extortion, and impunity. While SARS was formally disbanded and judicial panels of inquiry were set up, many recommendations remain unimplemented.
Survivors continue to speak out. One victim, Ngozichukwu, recounted being abducted, tortured, and detained by officers linked to the Intelligence Response Team. “I was starved, beaten, and denied medical treatment. The court awarded me compensation, but the police have refused to pay,” she said. Another survivor, Adaeze Akwaja, described severe torture at Tiger Base in Owerri, and still suffers health complications.
The Lekki Toll Gate shootings on October 20, 2020, remain a defining symbol of broken trust between citizens and the state. Questions about accountability for the use of force against protesters linger.
RULAAC insists that police reform must go beyond welfare improvements and cosmetic changes. “Redeployment is not accountability,” Nwanguma stressed. “Until citizens are safer, officers obey the law, court judgments are respected, and victims obtain justice, the grievances that gave birth to #EndSARS will remain unresolved.”
The organisation has laid out twelve demands, including full enforcement of the Police Act 2020 and Anti-Torture Act 2017, independent investigations of grave violations, stronger civilian oversight, and transparent publication of disciplinary outcomes.
As Nigeria reflects on the sixth anniversary, RULAAC’s message is clear: “#EndSARS was not simply a demand to abolish a police unit. It was a demand to end a culture of impunity.”
