Inibehe Effiong, a human rights activist, has criticized the Nigerian government for failing to address the root causes of the 2020 #EndSARS protests. On this edition of Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Mr. Effiong highlights the government’s apparent disregard for the core issues sparked the protests, noting that, although the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has been disbanded in name, police brutality and corruption remain rampant. “What we have seen since the mass movement in 2020 is an attempt to deny the impact, message, and factors that precipitated that movement.”
Mr. Effiong further warned that the Nigerian government’s apparent strategy of criminalizing peaceful protests has created a dangerous situation, as he argued that the government only responds to violent demonstrations, a pattern that he believes could lead to more unrest, adding that the youth-led movement against police brutality will resurface, stronger and more determined, if the underlying issues continue to be ignored, “History will repeat itself. And when it does, I’m not sure how that is going to end because the Nigerian government seems to only respond to violence.”
Reflecting on the legacy of the #EndSARS movement, the human rights lawyer stressed that the protests cannot be seen as a failure and that dismissing the movement would dishonor the many young Nigerians who lost their lives fighting for justice. “I cannot describe the #EndSARS protest as a failure. I think that will be dishonoring those patriotic youths who laid down their lives,”
Meanwhile, the family of Chijioke Iloanya continues to seek justice twelve years after his disappearance, an incident that resurfaced during the #EndSARS protests. Chijioke was arrested by SARS officers in Anambra State in 2012, and according to his sister, Obianuju Iloanya, he was last seen at the Awkuzu SARS unit. Recounting the painful ordeal, Obianuju recalled how the officer in charge, James Nwafor, callously told her parents, “If it is those boys you’ve come to see, I have killed them, and there’s nothing we can do about it.” Despite numerous petitions and protests, Chijioke’s family remains in the dark about his fate, underscoring the lasting scars of SARS’s brutal reign.
While she has intensified her calls for the prosecution of James Nwafor, the former officer responsible for her brother’s case, Obianuju therefore insists that Nwafor holds the key to the mystery behind Chijioke’s disappearance, demanding answers after years of anguish. “James Nwafor needs to give my family closure. He needs to tell us what happened to Chijioke and where his body is if he is dead. My family deserves closure, and we deserve justice.”
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