#EndSARS: States with the Ongoing Protests

The internet is awash with trending hashtags relating to the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. This is not the first time the #EndSARS hashtag has trended in Nigeria. It started as far back as 2017. But this time; the outrage began on the 3rd of October when the video of a young boy being victimized by SARS in Ughelli, Delta State went viral. Naira Marley made an initial call for a physical protest on the 6th of October through Twitter but he later cancelled it.

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Read more about #EndSARS

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The current protests broke out on the 8th of October and celebrities like Falz, Runtown, Tiwa Savage and more led it. Here is a list of states where the #ENDSARS protests are happening:

1. Abia
2. Abuja, FCT
3. Adamawa
4. Akwa Ibom
5. Anambra
6. Bauchi
7. Bayelsa
8. Benue
9. Borno
10. Delta
11. Ebonyi
12. Ebonyi
13. Edo
14. Ekiti
15. Enugu 
16. Imo
17. Jigawa
18. Kaduna
19. Kano
20. Kwara
21. Lagos
22. Ogun
23. Ondo
24. Osun
25. Oyo
26. Plateau
27. Rivers 

With each passing day, more states join the protest. However, the #EndSARS protests are not the only protests going on in the country. There are a bunch of people who consider themselves as pro-SARS protesters demanding that SARS shouldn’t be scrapped. One of such is the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG). This group declared a nationwide protest in all the 19 northern states under the banner of #EndInsecurityNow on the 15th of October. Some states have been neutral in the ongoing protest while others still had #EndSARS protest going on simultaneously. The 19 northern States in this category include Taraba, Gombe, Niger, Kogi, Kano, Kwara, Yobe, Kebbi, Bauchi, Kastina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Plateau, Adamawa, Benue, Abuja, FCT, Kaduna, Borno, and Sokoto.

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But so far only 8 states held a #ProSARSProtests. These include:

1. Sokoto
2. Kastina
3. Kaduna
4. Yobe
5. Gombe
6. Zamfara
7. Kebbi and
8. Taraba

While it might look different, we are all fighting for the same thing– better policing in the country. Protection of lives and property is the government’s responsibility, and this administration owes a secured debt to Nigerians. There have been more killings in the North from the inaction of security agents to prevent banditry in the cities and targeted killings in the farming communities. Homes were raided and farmlands lost in the battle against herdsmen. And SARS is just as harmful to the survival of citizens in the North as they are in the South. So there is a justifiable reason for the outrage across the country. The beautiful part of all this is the protests have largely been peaceful. Although there are some miscreants and thugs hijacking the process and trying to give the protesters a bad name, it does not fill the atmosphere in the states with tension. There some occasional roadblocks and traffic congestion here and there. But if you avoid the protest routes, you wouldn’t even know people are protesting if you are in the country. (Except for the protests in Benin that went sour on the 19th of October, and some parts of Lagos). So far, this movement has gained international traction with over 11 countries around joining in. Such as USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Ghana, and South Africa. These protests are made up of Nigerians in diaspora while others include well-wishers of Nigeria. When you read the stories and watch the videos, it is hard not to be enraged and join the protests. We, the Nigerian Youth, have a right to live. The freedom to protest is our fundamental human right.   Featured Image Source: AkPraise

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This article was first published on 21st October 2020

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