In October 2020 mass protests against police brutality spread across Nigeria under the slogan #EndSARS, calling for the disbandment of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) (Wikipedia).
- Date
- October 2020
- Status
- Historical
- Location
- Lagos and other cities
In October 2020 mass protests against police brutality spread across Nigeria under the slogan #EndSARS, calling for the disbandment of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) (Wikipedia). The campaign had begun on Twitter in 2017; it revived in October 2020 after new reports of abuses by the unit, and was led mainly by young Nigerians, with demands widening to good governance and accountability. The hashtag was used more than 28 million times, and solidarity protests were held by Nigerians abroad.
On 11 October 2020 the Nigeria Police Force announced that SARS had been dissolved, but protests continued because similar announcements had been made before. On 20 October 2020, after a curfew was declared in Lagos, protesters gathered at the Lekki toll gate were shot at; Wikipedia states that the protests were suppressed by the military, with several protesters killed there. The Lagos State Government denied any involvement, and a judicial panel set up to look into SARS was also charged with investigating the Lekki shooting.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad was founded in late 1992 as one of fourteen units of the police Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, a masked unit for undercover operations against armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling and illegal firearms (Wikipedia). Over time it became notorious for abuses against citizens. Protests against it began in 2017, when activists, young people and celebrities took to the streets and to social media under the hashtag #EndSARS to demand its disbandment.
Wikipedia describes the movement as decentralised and led mainly by young people, and notes the role of the internet and social media in sustaining it; a network of more than 400 volunteer lawyers represented detained protesters. A memorial and fresh protests followed, including a protest in February 2021 against the reopening of the Lekki toll gate.
How evidence is graded
- Verified: Supported by an official source, or by two or more independent sources that agree.
- Well documented: Supported by credible sources, but not yet independently confirmed.
- Reported: Found in a credible source; further corroboration is welcome.
- Needs corroboration: The evidence is thin or incomplete; more sources are being sought.
- Disputed: Credible sources or community accounts disagree; the differing accounts are noted.
- Uncertain: There is not yet enough information to classify this responsibly.
Sources are marked official, academic, reference, community or general web. Sources that copy each other count as one. Oral traditions are recorded as traditions, not as proven fact.
Archive ID: EVT-THE-ENDSARS-PROTESTS · Last updated 3 October 2026.
Spotted an error or have a source to add? Tell us.