End SARS: LGBT+ Nigerians Are Being Abused And Humiliated By A Corrupt Police Unit
October 22, 2020Protests against the horrific police brutality actioned by Nigeria’s SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) are taking place across the globe.
For the last two weeks, the streets of Nigeria have been packed with protesters who are taking a stand against normalised police brutality.
What is SARS?
SARS is a unit that was first put together in 1992. As an undercover task force, it was aimed at tackling crime and protecting the public, but instead, it has become synonymous with oppression, human right violations as well as accusations of assault, illegal detentions and shootings.
Although the SARS unit was disbanded by President Buhari on 11 October, the trauma left by the task force has reached a breaking point. Now, following the death of a young man in Delta State earlier this month, tensions between protesters and police have peaked.
Why are people protesting?
Nigerians have been protesting the horrific treatment by the SARS unit for a while. Reports as early as 2016 establish how the SARS unit systematically exploited and leveraged their powers over civilians. Numerous cases emerged spotlighting how detainees were tortured and had to offer bribes in exchange for their freedom.
Now, it has been revealed that 12 people were killed by the Nigeria army while peacefully protesting police brutality at Lekki toll gate, Lagos, Nigeria.
Following recent events, hundreds have come together, both online and in-person, to call for an end to police brutality. The Nigerian youth have become a vocal demographic taking a stand to the ongoing tyranny as SARS officers would reportedly single them out.
Within this younger demographic, the LGBTQ+ community are particularly vulnerable. Nigeria does not recognise the freedom or rights of queer people. The young queer youth are often identified based on factors of appearance or presumptions based around behaviours.
“Yell it in your streets. We get killed for being LGBTQ+. It’s crazy,” radical feminist and LGBT+ identifying activist Matthew Blaise tweeted.
How can you help?
As ‘Gay Times’ writes, there are a few ways you could help. If you can spare the money, @feminist_co on Twitter have made a call for donations using Bitcoin. The coalition group formed in July 2020 and have described their mission to “champion equality for women in Nigerian society with a core focus on education, financial freedom and representation in public office”.
In the post below, the group of young Nigerian feminists platform a free, secure method of donating money which also open to international donations which will which go to helping those impacted.
If you can’t afford to donate money, then share content which will help educate yourself and other on what is happening. Safe House have put together a compact list of how you can support LGBTQ+ Nigerians. You can also access the information in the tweet here.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Nigerian Police Arrest 57 Men on Suspicion of Homosexual Activity
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