I used to think that there was no level that the Nigerian government could stoop to that would really shock me. Today has been a real test of that theory.

In the last 20 years the Nigerian military has massacred protesters in Zaria, Onitsha, Enugu and razed whole villages in “reprisal attacks” in Odi and Zaki Biam. These were isolated events and didn’t receive nearly as much local or international coverage as the #EndSARS protests

The events of October 20 are especially chilling because of the nature of the protests - nationwide agitation against state sponsored murder- and the amount of international attention it had garnered. Yet the Military proceeded to murder peaceful citizens in a premeditated manner

We said End police brutality, end SARS/SWAT, show us how you will do this along with providing justice for the victims. The government said fuck no and doubled down on its commitment to violence.

International attention didn’t help, national consensus not seen since before the return to democracy didn’t help, the fact that the protesters were in Nigeria’s economic center in front of a symbol of the private capture of state resources did not help.The state returned to form

It’s glaringly clear now, if it wasn’t before, that the only thing the Nigerian government respects is violence. The only people they negotiate with in some sort of good faith are violent actors (ND militias, Boko Haram, Bandits, etc ). That is a sobering thought as we go forward

I’m not even sure where I’m going with this thread again. I’m angry, exhausted, sad, feeling a bit helpless and wondering what level these agitations need to reach till our demands will be met. But resolve dey

We have already failed the people of Zaria, Odi, Onitsha and the other places that met destruction at the hand of the government by being complicit in our silence. We cannot let them get away with this, these guys don’t know what they are in for.

They have not faced a Naija united in this way. For the victims and for the country ,we dey pin. #EndSARS

Links to the previous instances of military violence

https://www.hrw.org/news/2001/10/25/nigeria-soldiers-massacre-civilians-revenge-attack-benue-state#

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/peaceful-pro-biafra-activists-killed-in-chilling-crackdown/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/22/nigeria-army-attack-shia-unjustified#

https://www.hrw.org/legacy/press/1999/dec/nibg1299.htm