Johannesburg - Nigerians based in South Africa will on Wednesday join the #EndSARS protests in solidarity with Nigerian youths who are protesting against police brutality and the controversial, now disbanded, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The police unit is accused of murder, kidnapping, assault and the torture of innocent citizens.
According to a flyer posted on the Facebook page of the Nigeria Union of South Africa (NUSA), and confirmed by NUSA president Adetola Olubajo, Nigerians based in South Africa will gather on October 21 for a peaceful march to the High Commission of Nigeria in Arcadia, Pretoria.
“A memorandum will be submitted to the Nigerian High Commissioner, Ambassador Kabir Bala. We have been following the protest with keen interest to see what direction the Nigerian government will follow,” The Nation reported Olubanjo saying.
The Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari, has said that the country’s youth are within their rights to peacefully protest while making demands of their leaders.
The Nation reported that Buhari made the statement during a meeting with the minister of youths and sports development on Sunday.
According to Amnesty International’s Nigeria spokesperson, Isa Sanusi, at least 15 people have been killed, including two policemen, since protests against police brutality erupted this month.
He said that one person died in the northern city of Kano on Monday while four others died in Benin City, Abuja and Osogbo over the weekend.
Amnesty International reported a death toll of 10 last Thursday, a week after the protests erupted.
African News Agency (ANA)