By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
H.E.R. has joined the growing number of celebrities supporting the #EndSARS protest against police brutality.
The Grammy-winning musician used her musical show on “Saturday Night Live” to promote the #EndSARS movement, a global campaign against police brutality in Nigeria.
The singer-songwriter whose real name is Gabi Wilson, was surrounded on Saturday during the broadcast by a band wearing black t-shirts that read “#ENDSARS,” as reported by NBC.
The hashtag is part of a growing campaign to shut down the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) task force in Nigeria.
Also, other celebrities who have spoken out and shared the #EndSARS campaign, include Beyoncé and Rihanna.
Beyoncé released a statement through her philanthropic foundation, BeyGOOD, last week.
“I am heartbroken to see the senseless brutality taking place in Nigeria.
“There has to be an end to SARS,” she stated.
Rihanna shared a statement on her personal social media accounts on Tuesday, telling Nigerian protesters that she was “so proud of your strength.”
“I can’t bare to see this torture and brutalization that is continuing to affect nations across our planet,” Rihanna said.
“It’s such a betrayal to the citizens, the very people put in place to protect are the ones we are most afraid of being murdered by!”
Recall that thousands of Nigerians had protested in recent weeks against the police task force (SARS), blaming them for years of brutality, extortion and harassment.
The demonstrations were sparked by a video circulating in early October alleging to show members of the SARS squad fatally shooting a man in the country’s Delta State.
Witnesses also confirmed that soldiers shot at protesters ,who gathered in the Lekki Tollgate of Lagos, the African nation’s largest city, where demonstrations have occurred almost every day in recent weeks.
But the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government has refused to name the soldiers, who killed the non-violent protesters, or who sent them.
Amnesty International has alleged that at least 12 protesters were killed by Nigerian soldiers during the protests, with hundreds more injured.
