#EndSARSMemorial: To Those Whose Lives Were Cut Short

On the 10th of October, 2020, somewhere in Ogbomosho, Jimoh Isiaq was standing at a distance, his arms clutched to his sides, his chin resting on his fist, watching as the #EndSARS protest went on. The next we’ll see of Jimoh is his dead body; a deep bullet hole in it.

Jimoh is one of the many Nigerians who have lost their lives to the brutality of the Nigerian police. It is because of people like Jimoh – innocent lives wasted by the forces meant to protect them – Nigerian youths trooped out en masse in October 2020, placards in their hands, sweat dripping down their brows, voices in unison, chanting #EndSARS. The 2-week nationwide protests are not just a testament to the capacity of the Nigerian youths to fight for what is right and demand justice, it will go down in history as one of the most well-coordinated and powerful peaceful protests in the world.  

It will be remembered that in 2020, the Nigerian youth stood against police brutality and extra judicial killings and made a lasting statement. 

Today marks the 2nd year of the #EndSARSMemorial. As Nigerian youths bow their heads and honk their horns in remembrance of those whose lives were cut short due to the brutality of the Nigeria Police Force, especially the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, we honour every Nigerian who participated in the #EndSARS protests across the nation.

This is to people who knew the risk and took it anyway. To people who made their voices heard so much that it forced the government to disband SARS, even if it was for a brief moment. To people bold enough to alert the world about police brutality in Nigeria. To people who have lost their loved ones to police brutality and are still asking for justice. To people who shared their stories in Chude‘s Awaiting Trial documentary in the hope that justice will prevail. To those who have lost hope in the country but still lend their voices to important causes. To those who cleaned the roads after each protest, and washed the blood of those massacred in Mushin, Lekki and killed in other states. To those who hid in gutters as bullets flew past them. To those who watched blood trickle down the necks of their loved ones, silence eating up their screams as they fell to nothingness. To those who held their dead in their arms, their eyes and throats too dry for tears and words. 

Today, we remember and honour you, BellaNaijarians, for keeping your head high and forging ahead through it all.

Police brutality in Nigeria is not okay. It will never be okay. But in the midst of it all, there’s a silver lining. There’s a new sense of confidence in Nigerian youths; they are armed with the knowledge that they can demand good governance from those who lead them. They are capable of challenging any system that denies them the opportunity to enjoy their basic rights.

Today, we know we are capable enough to change the course of the country. To demand more. To collectively be involved in governance and choose our leaders.

It’s been two years since the shooting at Lekki and no arrests have been made. But we will continue to keep those we lost to the protest in our thoughts. We will never forget their names.

Let’s keep demanding justice – for our friends and families whose lives have been cut short, for people mutilated, for people whose lives have been disrupted, and for the unborn generation.

Love and light to us all.

#EndSARS!