Five years after the October 20, 2020’s ENDSARS protest, many of the promises of the Nigerian Governments to secure justice for the victims and their families, as well as to engender reforms in the nation’s police system have remained unfulfilled.
This is as perpetrators of extrajudicial killings that sparked the protests, and murder of protesters walk free without any accountability.
Renowned Right Activist, Okechukwu Nwanguma expressed the regrets in a chat with the News Chronicle correspondent in Lagos, while reflecting on the 5th ENDSARS Anniversary and the state of the nation’s police system.
Recall that on the night of October 20, 2020, there were 48 casualties, with an unconfirmed number of people killed, and many arrested, after Nigeria’s military allegedly opened fire on unarmed demonstrators.
The then Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo had made a heartfelt apology during the #EndSARS protests, acknowledging that the government could have moved faster, to address the concerns that led to the movement, a statement many young Nigerians appreciated the gesture, but even more demanded tangible action.
According to Nwanguma, the #EndSARS movement was not just a protest against police brutality, but a revolt against a failed system, a collective cry against years of impunity, corruption, joblessness, insecurity, and hopelessness.
He noted that the anger that drove young Nigerians to the streets was not just about the notorious SARS unit, but about the Nigerian condition itself.
“Osinbajo’s statement reflected a rare moment of empathy from high office. He acknowledged what millions had suffered in silence, and that young Nigerians have been brutalized, extorted, and dehumanized by the very people meant to protect them. He promised accountability, justice panels, and the disbandment of SARS.
“But five years later, how much has changed?” he queried.
Nwanguma worried that although judicial panels of inquiry were set up across the states, their reports have largely gathered dust, while victims still await justice and perpetrators walk free.
He regretted that promises of police reform have faded into official silence, as many of the young protesters who dared to demand better are still nursing physical and psychological scars, or have withdrawn into disillusionment.
“The #EndSARS movement has since become a metaphor, a rallying cry against all that is wrong with governance in Nigeria: incompetent leadership, nepotism, insecurity, corruption, and the decay of democratic accountability. It was not merely a youth uprising; it was an awakening. It challenged the Nigerian state to reform, not repress, to listen, not lecture.
“Yet, instead of introspection, the state has often chosen repression. Peaceful protesters were met with bullets, and the Lekki Toll Gate shootings remain a dark stain on our conscience as a nation. The government’s reaction to criticism, whether from citizens, journalists, or opposition voices, continues to betray an insecurity of its own.
“To reclaim Nigeria, as the Sowore-led Revolution Now movement aptly declared, is to demand that leadership be redefined as service, not privilege. It means confronting impunity in all its forms, from police barracks to political offices. It means turning apologies into action and reform promises into measurable progress.
“#EndSARS was, and remains, a historic moment of civic courage. The Nigerian youth made it clear that they will no longer be silenced or deceived by empty reforms. The challenge before our leaders is to prove that they heard.
“The time for tokenism is over. Nigeria
