Ishaya Ibrahim
The cry of the Nigerian youths for the scrapping of the Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigerian police is reverberating all over the globe with a simple hashtag, #EndSARS.
Like the #BringBackOurGirls campaign hashtag in 2014, which rattled the then Nigerian government over the abduction of the Chibok girls, the #EndSARS campaign has drawn the attention of the world to the atrocities of SARS operatives in Nigeria.
On Thursday, top Nigerian celebrities and social media influencers, including Dipo Awojide, Japhet Omojuwa, Pamilerin, and musicians Falz, Runtown, Tiwa Savage, Rude Boy of the PSquare fame and a host of others, did not only tweet and post about the campaign but took to the streets to demand an end to the impunity of SARS officials.
Their calls were heard far and wide and foreign celebrities like John Boyega, Trey Songs and many others joined in the call for an end to SARS.
The volume of tweets and mentions of the #EndSARS campaign on social media propelled it to trend at number one in the UK, the US, the UAE and Canada.
It remains a top trend on Friday and Saturday, dwarfing the governorship election in Ondo happening on Saturday.
Created in 2017 by Segun Awosanya popularly known as Segalink, #EndSARS has become a rallying cry for calls to end police brutality, SARS officials’ alleged high handedness, extortion and extrajudicial killings.
Nigerian president, Muhammad Buhari and vice president Yemi Osinbajo said they have tasked the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to take urgent steps to reform the unit and punish culpable officers.
