This article reveals how Nigerian youths reacted to the tragic shooting of a Nigerian man by agents of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), in Delta State, Nigeria. Between November 2017 and October 2020, series of vibrant online and physical protests organized under the hashtag of #EndSARS campaign was staged against the operation of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for their abuse of power which indicates police brutality in Africa’s most populous country.
Thus, this article examined the factors that led to the outburst of the #EndSARS protest as a strategic means for seeking police accountability, that represent the youths capacity to plan, organize, execute, assemble and persuade the Nigerian Government to act and the impact of the mass action on policing and law enforcement in Nigeria. The methodology postulated for this study consists of a qualitative analysis of tweets between September 11 and October 11, 2020.
At a glance
- Case study analyzes #EndSARS tweets using Twitter Advanced Search and news reports
- Discusses journalists’ safety through Maslow’s theory of human motivation
Contents
1. ABSTRACT
2. Introduction
3. Nigerian youths #EndSARS protest: A brief background
4. Digital mobilization & Fundraising
5. Social media impacts
6. Methodology
7. Discussions and Findings
7.1 Human Rights Violations by SARS
7.1.1 a. Right to Life
7.1.2 b. Freedom from torture
7.1.3 c. Right to Liberty
7.1.4 d. Right to privacy and family life
7.2 Activism
7.3 The Nigerian youth #EndSARS peaceful protests and international empathy.
7.4 Celebrity influencers as digital vanguard
7.5 ENDSARS Protest and the Positive Impacts of Protesting Police Misconduct in Nigeria
7.6 Negative Impact of the #EndSARS Protest for Policing and Law Enforcement in Nigeria
7.7 Safety Challenges for Journalist and Press Restriction
8. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This article examines how Nigerian youths used social media to organize the #EndSARS campaign against police brutality. It asks how digital platforms supported mobilization and advocacy for police accountability and how the protests related to government decision-making and policing in Nigeria.
- The origins and context of the #EndSARS movement
- Online mobilization, fundraising and coordination of protests
- Reported human rights violations by SARS personnel
- Celebrity participation and international solidarity
- Implications for policing, law enforcement and press freedom
Excerpt from the Book
Social media impacts
The relevance of social media in mass protest and activism is very substantial. Social media platforms like Twitter shape political participation, especially during demonstrations. Social media platforms make it possible for informations that are crucial to the execution of protest activities such as informations about turn out, medical services and legal support to be disseminated online as this was the case during the #EndSARS protest. In addition social media fosters the exchange of emotional and motivational contents in support of activism including messages portraying anger, concerns about accountability, fairness, justice and deprivation. Nevertheless, the use of social media has been connected to the spread of political protest in many cities around the world, including Kiev, Moscow, Ankara, Istanbul, Cairo, Tripoli, Madrid, Athens, Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, and Ferguson, Missouri. Noticeably, political protest itself is far from new, but the fact that it is possible to access real-time accounts of protest behavior documented and archived through microblogging (e.g., Twitter) and social media (e.g., Facebook) websites is a recent phenomenon. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a protest that does not have its own distinctive hashtag on Twitter (e.g., #OWS 5 Occupy Wall Street; #Jan25 5 protests in Egypt; #direngeziparkı 5 protests in Turkey; and #Euromaidan 5 protests in Ukraine), and it is easy to connect these hashtags to message content, user metadata, and social networks (Jost et al, 2018). (Shirky, 2011) concluded that as the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and more participatory, the connected population is gaining more access to information, more opportunities to involve themselves in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action. (McGarty et al, 2013) asserted that social media usage largely contributes to an acceleration of processes that normally occur much more slowly.
With the advent of social media as an alternative form of mass communication, people can disseminate information freely and diversely as this was the case during the #EndSARS protest. Also, the Nigerian Police Force were able to disseminate it’s press release and activities during the protest. The citizens were also able to disseminate information on social media with specific interest in trends on police brutality and digital mobilization. (Carty, 2015), who propounded that social media aids the quick dissemination of information and mobilizes the public for physical protests.
Chapter Summaries
ABSTRACT: The author outlines the #EndSARS campaign, the study’s focus on youth activism and its qualitative approach to tweets.
Introduction: The article introduces social media as a means of political communication and sets out its interest in digital mobilization and government policy.
Nigerian youths #EndSARS protest: A brief background: This section traces the campaign’s background, the establishment of SARS and concerns about police accountability and abuse.
Digital mobilization & Fundraising: The author discusses protest announcements in Nigeria and abroad alongside online fundraising and logistical support.
Social media impacts: This section considers how social platforms facilitate the circulation of information, solidarity and coordination during protests.
Methodology: The study describes its case-study approach, use of Twitter Advanced Search, selected hashtags and analysis of news reports.
Discussions and Findings: The discussion addresses alleged rights violations, activism, international support and celebrity involvement. It also considers consequences for policing and challenges faced by journalists covering the protests.
Conclusion: The author reflects on youth participation, protest strategies and the relationship between digital activism and political change.
Keywords
#EndSARS, social media, Nigerian youth, police accountability, police brutality, digital activism, Twitter, social mobilization, human rights, protest, celebrity influence, press freedom
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the article about?
It examines Nigerian youth activism against police brutality during the #EndSARS campaign, with particular attention to social media.
What are its central themes?
The article addresses digital mobilization, police accountability, human rights, fundraising, celebrity participation and journalism during protests.
What is the study’s primary objective?
It seeks to understand how social media supported protest organization and advocacy intended to influence government policies and decisions.
What research method does the author use?
The author describes a qualitative case-study analysis using tweets located through Twitter Advanced Search and relevant news reports.
What does the main discussion cover?
It considers alleged SARS abuses, protest activism, international solidarity, celebrity involvement, consequences for policing and risks to journalists.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include #EndSARS, social media, Nigerian youth, police accountability, digital activism and human rights.
Which hashtags does the study use to identify tweets?
The search includes #ENDSARS, #SARSMUSTGO, #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY, #ENDSARSNOW and #SARSMUSTEND.
How does the article address celebrity participation?
It discusses how Nigerian youths called on celebrities to participate and examines their roles in online and offline protest activity.
Why does the article discuss journalists’ safety?
It considers restrictions on reporting and risks faced by journalists covering the protests, relating safety to their ability to carry out their work.
- Quote paper
- Adegboyega Daniel Eniola (Author), 2022, The impact of Social Media #EndSARS Nigerian Youth Activism for Police Accountability in Nigeria, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1336698
