Presidential Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has claimed that the #EndSARS protest was the catalyst for irresponsible protest in Nigeria, marking a departure from structured demonstrations in the country.
Speaking on News Central Television yesterday, Bwala argued that while past protests were well-organized, #EndSARS lacked coordination and structure.
“You want to shut down law and order in the country. There is no police anywhere in the world that will close their eyes to that fact. #EndSARS was the beginning and the foundation of irresponsible protesting. Before #EndSARS, all the protests that we had in the country were organised. That’s why they were called organised protests,” he said.
Bwala acknowledged law enforcement missteps during the protest but insisted that the government did not suppress demonstrators.
“But the government didn’t shut down the protesters. However, there were misadventures by law enforcement, and I admit that. That’s why a panel was formed to investigate, and it released its findings. But many of the subsequent reports were based on fake news, particularly from CNN, which exaggerated several aspects of the story,” he added.
The #EndSARS movement, which lasted over 14 days in 2020, saw nationwide protests demanding the **disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit notorious for brutality, extrajudicial killings, and corruption.
What began as a social media campaign escalated into massive street demonstrations, culminating in the October 20, 2020, Lekki Toll Gate shooting, where Nigerian security forces allegedly opened fire on unarmed protesters, sparking global outrage and government denials.
