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As the #EndSARS Campaign Rages On, What Are The Issues At Stake?

As the #EndSARS Campaign continues, what exactly are the demands of the protesters and what does the government need to do to calm fraying nerves.

Depending on what side of the fence you are sitting on, it is difficult to escape the ongoing #EndSARS Campaign as it seeks to end police brutality in Nigeria. After days of Protest by young Nigerians, the government is yet to come to terms with the fact that even after “disbanding” the said tactical Unit of the Police, protests are still ongoing around the World.

Just yesterday Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey threw his weight behind the protests, sparking new life into the Nigerian Twitter community most of whom see this as a credible endorsement of their struggle. A movement without a figure head, Isn’t something most governments around the world enjoy dealing with. It is spontaneous, organic, and most of the time difficult to grasp.

The docility of the Nigerian youth over the years has perhaps left successive governments comfortable in their rot, this new found voice, this outcry, is one that will live long in our memories. So what exactly does the #EndSARS Campaign seek to achieve? A Document circulating on Twitter aggregates what the youths want.

Immediate Release of Protesters

The movement while insisting on an end to police Brutality and a freedom to protest peacefully also want the authorities to release all protesters that have been taking into police custody.

Compensation and Justice for Families of Victims of Brutality

The protesters demand that all officers involved in extrajudicial killings must be brought to book. In this case arraigned and prosecuted. The families of the deceased have to be compensated by government.

Also Read: Activism is a Negative Word – Yeni Kuti

Psychological evaluation and Retraining of members of the now defunct SARS

Considering the sheer wickedness that has been perpetuated by these men for most of their career, its no surprise that people are asking that they be evaluated and retrained. The mere fact that most of these men would remain in active service is a cause for concern. But in a case where it is impractical to sack members of a unit that numbers up to 10,000, it is only reasonable that they be retrained and better positioned to discharge their duties.

Setting up an independent body To Investigate Reports of Police Misconduct

A crucial part of the #EndSARS Campaign is that the authorities set up an independent body that would be tasked with investigating police misconduct. A kind of censoring body that the public can have access to in case of police misbehavior at any level.

Increase In salary and Remuneration

Its quite funny that the same police that has been coopted to attack protesters is been considered favorably by the protesters. At the core of the illegalities of SARS has been their penchant to extort innocent citizens. However the reality remains that the bulk of the men in the Police are grossly underpaid, and live in some of the most unbearable conditions. Their barracks is simply put – inhabitable. If their welfare isn’t improved, it would be silly to think their mindset would improve.

 

From the look of things the government has shown very little inclination to heed to these demands, little wonder the protests keeps gathering steam. We may just be looking at a scenario of rock colliding with an immovable object. Only time would tell who will blink first

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  1. Pingback: Feminist Coalition: The Brave and Daring Group Raising Funds For The #EndSARS Protests - Spotlightafricamedia

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Gunmen abduct Kwara APC chairman’s wife, daughter in midnight raid

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the wife and daughter of Alhaji Muhammad Swasun, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The victims, identified as Hajiya Fatima and her daughter Amina, were seized on Sunday, September 7, at night when a five-man armed gang stormed the party chairman’s residence in Sakpefu.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the attackers scaled the compound fence and opened fire indiscriminately to terrify residents before breaking into one of the rooms.

“They entered into one of the rooms where they found his wife and daughter and took them away, shooting into the air,” a party executive told reporters, adding that the chairman narrowly escaped being kidnapped himself.

Another APC member confirmed that the gunmen operated for several minutes before whisking the women to an undisclosed location.

“The bandits abducted his wife, Hajiya Fatima, and his daughter, Amina, and took them to an unknown destination,” the source explained, according to Vanguard.

The latest abduction has heightened anxiety in Patigi, a region already grappling with recurring cases of kidnapping.

Residents have repeatedly urged the government and security operatives in recent months to intensify efforts to curb the menace.

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Ace Comedian Ali Baba evicted from Victoria Island property over legal dispute

Veteran Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has been evicted from his luxurious, multi-million-naira property located in Victoria Island due to a court dispute.

The property, which was purchased for ₦220 million by Ali Baba, is the subject of an ownership dispute at the Federal High Court.

Amid the legal dispute, Ali Baba and his company, XQZMOI TV, were evicted from the property located at 324A Akin Ogunlewe Street.

The eviction was carried out by bailiffs of the Federal High Court following a writ of possession signed on August 15, 2025.

The property in question was initially sold to Ali Baba by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2021 for ₦220 million.

At the time, AMCON claimed it was recovering debts allegedly owed by Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited.

But Harold Expansion disputed the debt and counterclaimed that they had already made repayments. Their lawyer, Benjamin Olayiwola Sadibo, insisted that the property was sold wrongfully.

On July 31, 2025, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court delivered a verdict that changed everything as he dismissed AMCON’s case, ruling that the corporation had failed to provide convincing evidence of the alleged debt.

The Justice stressed that AMCON did not even present a statement of account to back its claims a fatal omission for a creditor. Worse still, AMCON did not file a defence against Harold Expansion’s counterclaim, leaving the court with no choice but to side with the company.

In addition to ordering the property to be returned to the family of its original owner, the judge also imposed ₦500 million in damages on AMCON.

Ali Baba’s culpability in the case came as a result of the timing of the purchase. Records show that he purchased the property while the case was still in court, despite an existing preservation order.

He was said to have been a tenant of the property’s original owner before AMCON evicted the family and sold it.

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Police summon El-Rufai, other Kaduna ADC chieftains over alleged criminal conspiracy

Anti-Open Grazing

The Kaduna Command of the Nigerian Police has summoned former Governor of the state, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, and other top chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In the summons letter dated September 4, 2025, the ADC members were invited for questioning over alleged incitement of public disturbance, criminal conspiracy, mischief, and causing grievous hurt.

Signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Uzainu Abdullahi, the letter said the invited individuals are required to come and clarify the allegations against them.

“This Department is currently investigating the above-mentioned case involving the following members of your party. You are requested to come along with them to SCID to clarify allegations reported against them by the complainants on 8th September, 2025.

“Mal. Nasir El-Rufa’i, Bashir Sa’idu, Jafaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed, aka 30, Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita, and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini, aka Mikiya,” the letter reads.

Sani, one of the invited members and ADC North-West Vice Chairman, told Daily Trust that he learned of the invitation through social media.

“Yes, most of us only saw the statement on social media,” he said, declining further comments.

The development followed the heated exchanges between the Kaduna State government and El-Rufai over the violence that rocked an ADC meeting in the state last week.

The government accused the former Governor of plotting to cause destabilisation in the state through provocative actions and inflammatory statements.

In a statement signed by Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, the government said it wouldn’t sit idle and watch El-Rufai plunge the state back into violence, division, and insecurity.

“This Government will not fold its arms and allow a discredited former leader, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation,” the statement read.

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