Locals show solidarity for #EndSars protest
”The tensions are very high, many of the people who came out today have lost their loved ones to police brutality."
Hundreds of Nigerian nationals living in South Africa protested outside the Nigerian High Commission in Arcadia on Wednesday.
The protest was part of the #EndSars movement, an international movement against the widely criticised Nigerian Special Anti-Robbery Squad (NSars) police unit.
Several protests were held across the globe over the past two weeks against this police unit, which has been accused of extortion, harassment, torture and murder.
This local march was organised to show solidarity with the youth of Nigeria who had been protesting in Lagos for the past few weeks, said Nigerian Union South Africa (Nusa) president Adetola Olubajo.
“We came to show solidarity with them because their demand to disband the unit is genuine.
“We are not happy about what is happening back home because it is also affecting us. We have relatives there.”
Olubajo handed over their memorandum to Nigerian high commissioner Kabiru Bala.
“We are satisfied with the ambassador’s efforts to receive the memorandum. He came out, signed it, stamped it and promised to give it to the president in Nigeria.
“The tensions are very high; many of the people who came out today have lost their loved ones to police brutality.”
Olaoluwa Samson Temisan said he joined the march to show solidarity to the people back home and a hope for a better Nigeria.
“There are a lot of things that are happening in Nigeria that are not good, and part of it is police brutality.
“I have been in South Africa for some time now and we have seen how the government is being run here and we want to replicate that in our own country.”
#NotInMyName secretary-general Themba Masango said they also joined the march to show solidarity with all countries where police brutality was a problem.
“As Africans, our destinies are closely linked, so if we can have a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria, we will have a peaceful and prosperous South Africa.
“We are saying that as much as we stood for the human rights in America with the George Floyd movement and recently with the Zimbabwean Lives Matter protest, we are standing with Nigerians to say their lives matter.”
Masango said African leaders need to come to a point where they realise change is needed in the continent and that their people are suffering.
“Many people flee their countries because of brutality.
“The African Union must come together and put an end to what is happening in African countries with immediate effect so that people can go back home and be able to prosper in their own countries.”
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