Going to consolidate this as best as possible for the folks who may not know but there are gross human rights violations happening in Nigeria at the hands of SARS, a special police force initially created to combat armed robbery/kidnappers in Nigeria. A thread. #EndSARS 1/x

Let me preface this by saying armed robbery is super rampant is Nigeria. Like to the point where it’s almost impossible to know someone who hasn’t been robbed at gunpoint. After the death of a Nigerian cop in the 90s SARS formed to stop the various webs of armed robbers 2/x

This went super left. The main focus became on universities in Nigeria in the early 2010s and folks were targeted and arrested for literally having nice things. Even till today, if you dress nice/look nice you’re a target and it’s assumed you’re a thief. 3/x

This also went WAYYYY left because the treatment folks would receive when arrested would be incredibly inhumane. As far back as 2010 in Borokiri which is an area in Port Harcourt, Nigeria bike riders were arrested and detained for a week and beaten with an iron belt and gun. 4/x

In that SAME MONTH a 15 year old high school kid was killed after being “mistaken for an kidnapper”. Literally both happening in May 2010. 5/x

A common SARS tactic is checkpoints in the form of roadblocks. This makes them money by way of bribery and extortion. It’s common to pay off SARS officers just to get out of trouble for something you’d didn’t even do. SARS has made 9.35 BILLION Naira from this, as of 2010. 6/x

The past year alone has been way worse. While on a raid to capture kidnappers in Ijegun, an area in Lagos State, a pregnant woman was shot and killed by a stray bullet in the crossfire. Just an overall tell of their gross incompetence. 7/x

11 days later in August 2019 two phone thieves who were already arrested by SARS were then manhandled and shot to death on camera. In broad daylight. Just pure madness. 8/x

Probably one of the most recent widespread events was when @ikechukwuKillz, a Nigerian rapper, was kidnapped, tortured, and robbed having been forced to make several ATM withdrawals by SARS operatives for doing absolutely nothing at all. 9/x

The main theme here is just completely irresponsibility and lawlessness. These aren’t even 1/10 of the stories of what has happened in Nigeria. The extortion, the brutality, the broad daylight beatings. Enough is enough. 10/x

Even now, with the emergence of this movement to #EndSARS, organizers and activists in Nigeria are being shot, even killed at protests are recent as today. Police brutality is a global struggle. Black liberation is a global struggle. This should concern EVERYONE. 11/x

Anybody who’s an organizer or activists for Black lives in America should be just as concerned about the gross negligence for human rights in Nigeria. Organizers like @SavvyRinu have been working all over Nigeria with other young people in this movement. Support them. 12/x

Do not let this get swept under the rug. Mainstream media needs to cover this otherwise the Nigerian government which is already as corrupt as it is will do absolutely nothing. #EndSarsNow 13/x

Asking for y’all to please be just as concerned as I am about this and share with folks. @bocxtop @lexi4prez @israhirsi @PrestonMitchum @imyagirleva @WinterBreeanne @nupol_justice