Endsars Protest and Centralized Police System in Nigeria

The chapter discusses the Endsars protest in Nigeria- a cry from the masses for a more responsive government that is responsive to the needs and deplorable state of the masses, and government's brutal response to the protest. The study examines SARS which is the Special Anti-Robbery Squad – one of Nigeria Police Force’ units created in 1992 to tackle and prevent criminal-related offences such as highway robbery, kidnapping, and armed robbery, among others. In this study, Nigerians raised lots of criticisms against SARS which rather stands for everything evil and bad governance. This study observes that the Endsars protest records Nigerians' first attempt at resisting bad governance, though greeted with government brutality evidenced in the Lekki Toll Gate shooting where many lives were lost as literatures show, for once, Nigerians said NO to oppression.