In October 2020, Nigerian youths took to the streets to demand an end to Police brutality perpetrated by the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force.
Though the protests ended tragically, they also led to the abolishment of SARS. Five years after these events, we asked Nigerians if they feel safer. Their answers? Chilling stories of Police brutality they were only lucky to get out of.
“I initially thought they were thieves”—Ade*, 27
Ade negotiated for his life in the middle of nowhere.
“I have had a lot of experiences with the police, but there’s a particular one that scared me the most. Ironically, it happened the year after the EnsdSARS protests.
One night, at about 11;30pm, in my apartment at school, I saw eight men with guns outside my window. I initially thought they were thieves because they were not in their unifroms. They began banging on our door, demanding that we let them in. My flatmate went to open the door and as he did that, I heard a gun cock, and the voices of the men shouting at us to lie on the floor.
At this point, we still didn’t know they were the police, so we told them that we were students and didn’t have any valuables for them to rob. It was then they revealed that they were the police and were looking for cultists.
We begged them and told them that we were not cultists but even pastors. They didn’t believe us. The officers looked at my flatmate said it it’s impossible for him to be a Patsor. Almost immediately,we were handcuffed, put in a vehicle, and driven towards their station at 12 midnight.
Thankfully, their car broke down, and we had the chance to talk and negotiate with them. After a while, they believed that we were indeed pastors and not cultists but we still had to settle them;My flatmate and me sent them ₦20,000 before they let us go.
I do not feel safer even after EndSARS. Every time I see the police, my heart skips a beat even though I do not engage in any fraudulent activities. It’s just scary when I see them.”
“They drove us to a secluded place”—Bayo* (Mid 20s)
Just as they did before the 2020 protests, Bayo attests to continued profiling by the Nigeria Police
“I’ve been harassed by the police three different times, but the worst one happened in Abuja in 2024. I was on my way to a restaurant when some officers blocked my car, took over the vehicle, and drove us to a secluded spot.
They said I looked like one of their suspects and insisted I follow them to the station. I refused, and things immediately got scary. One of them threatened to hit me with the butt of his gun and throw me in the boot.
We argued for a while until I called my boss, who spoke to them. That was the only reason they eventually let me go. Even then, they still collected money from me to “fuel” their car.
The most recent harassment happened just last month, in September. Once they see my dreads, it’s like an automatic stop; eight times out of ten, they’ll flag the car because of me. Now, I make sure to always carry my ID with me, even if I’m just stepping out to buy something down the street.”
“Nobody knew where I was for a bit and it would have remained that way”—Chima*,mid 30s
Chima played by the rules but was still assaulted in the most ironical of places.
“Before EndSARS, the stories I had heard about the police always guided my behavior towards them. My parents also always told me to do whatever the Police say if I ever encountered them; ‘don’t shout, don’t resist, just do whatever they ask,’ they said.
I followed the instructions, but still suffered violence from them. In 2021, while I covered the EndSars memorial protest at Lekki Tollgate, the Police stopped me and asked for my ID card.
The ID card was in my bag, so I reached in to bring it out, but they immediately stopped me and bundled me into the black maria.
Nobody knew where I was for a bit, and it would have remained that way if it weren’t for the influence of some government officials who got me released.
I suffered PTSD from that event, so now I heavily avoid anything that involves the police now.
Do I feel safer and respected? Not entirely, and this is because we still hear stories of Police brutality till today.
I just tell everyone around me to always respect the police. I do not feel safer. I know the police would act when they need to act, but in everyday life, I am not sure. I see them, and I have PTSD, but I am wiser in how I deal with them now.”
“They threatened to waste my life”—Demola*, 28
Demola’s experience is still so fresh, he does not see an end to Police brutality in Nigeria.
“I was never harassed by the Police but all of that changed after I got a car.
One Sunday afternoon in 2024, I was stopped by the Police as I drove home from church.They asked to search my car and I let them. Then they demanded to see my ID. I didn’t have a physical one with me, but I had a digital copy on my phone, so I tried to show it to them. I held up my phone and asked them to look at it without taking it from me, but they didn’t listen.
Things instantly became dangerous; they forcefully took my phone and threatened to waste my life right there, saying nothing would happen and no one would save me. At that point, I just had to cooperate. I ended up giving them money just so they’d let me go.
Honestly, I don’t see police harassment ending anytime soon.”
“They threatened to waste our lives”—Dele* 28
Dele’s experience has scarred him so much he refused to go out at night.
“After a long night of partying, I was tipsy, so my friend who hadn’t had a drop, drove me home at about 3 am.
On the way, we were stopped by the police. They asked for the usual car papers, and IDs so we showed it to them. I do not know if we would have been let go then but when they saw that I was slightly not myself, they immediately assumed I either had narcotics or drugs with me.
They forced us out of the car thorougly searched the car. We tried to explain to them that I had a few drinks in my system, not narcotics, but they did not believe us. They insisted that I was a yahoo boy that sold drugs and my friend was covering for me. They searched the whole car and our belongings and found nothing. The energy shifted to a really serious one and they threatened to either take us to their station or waste out lives there.
We frantically pleaded with them, and they demanded we pay them money. After a lot of negotiations, they collected ₦300,000 from us that morning.”
Now, I am wary about going out at night. I avoid the police almost all the time. I do not want to have anything to do with them.
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