Nigeria: #EndSARS Human Rights Defender Exiled After Police Brutality Protests Takes Up Fight Against Disinformation

12 June 2024
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
analysis By Naledi Sikhakhane

Raphael Adebayo left Nigeria under an alias after he was targeted for being one of the coordinators of the #EndSARS and #ReformPoliceNG movement now, he is tackling disinformation with a new voter education drive.

In 2020, tens of thousands of young Nigerians took part in protests calling for the violent police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to be shut down. At least 56 protesters were killed and more than 15 remain in jail, said Amnesty International in October 2023.

Raphael Adebayo left Nigeria under an alias after he was targeted for being one of the coordinators of the #EndSARS and #ReformPoliceNG movement.

Adebayo spoke to Daily Maverick while attending the 16th annual Oslo Freedom Forum about where the movement is now and his voter education platform, KnowDemWell. The platform aims to foster voter education by profiling political parties and government officials of all ranks.

Adebayo said that although police brutality persists and protesters retreated after the devastating killings, young Nigerians are persistent and hopeful for a better future for the nation.

"A lot of people retreated into their cocoons, which is a natural reaction to the brutal clampdown by the Nigerian government, but the movement lives on in people's minds and hearts as a reminder that no matter how hard they come down on us we will never lose our voice," Adebayo said of the #EndSARS movement.

He said...

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