…described the #EndSARS protest as more than a revolt against police brutality.
AWKA, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | Five years after the #EndSARS protest that shook Nigeria and inspired a generation of young people to demand justice and accountability, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Comrade Okechukwu Nwanguma, says nothing has changed.
In a statement issued on Monday in Awka to mark the fifth anniversary of the movement, Nwanguma described the #EndSARS protest as more than a revolt against police brutality, calling it a collective outcry against decades of corruption, insecurity, and failed governance in Nigeria.
“The anger that drove young Nigerians to the streets was not just about the notorious SARS unit, it was about the Nigerian condition itself,” Nwanguma said. “Nigeria must change course or risk losing yet another generation to despair.”
The statement, titled “Beyond Apologies – Reclaiming Nigeria After #EndSARS,” lamented that five years after promises of justice and reform, the government has failed to deliver on its commitments.
Nwanguma recalled that the then Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had admitted the pains of young Nigerians and promised accountability, judicial panels of inquiry, and police reform. However, he noted that those panels have yielded little or no results.
“Five years later, nothing has changed. The judicial panels’ reports remain in nullity, victims still await justice, and perpetrators walk free,” he lamented.
He said the promises of police reform have “faded into official silence,” adding that many of the young Nigerians who demanded a better country are still nursing physical and emotional scars, or have withdrawn into quiet disillusionment.
“The #EndSARS movement has since become a metaphor, a rallying cry against incompetent leadership, nepotism, insecurity, and the decay of democratic accountability,” Nwanguma said. “It was not merely a youth uprising; it was an awakening. It challenged the Nigerian state to reform, not repress, to listen, not lecture.”
He further described the government’s response to the protest as tragic, citing the Lekki Toll Gate shooting as “a dark stain on the conscience of the nation.”
“Peaceful protesters were met with bullets,” he said. “The government’s reaction to criticism, whether from citizens, journalists, or opposition voices continues to betray an insecurity of its own.”
Nwanguma called for a redefinition of leadership and governance in Nigeria, insisting that true reform requires courage, empathy, and accountability.
“To reclaim Nigeria is to redefine leadership as service, not privilege,” he declared. “#EndSARS remains a historic moment of civic courage. The Nigerian youth have made it clear they will no longer be silenced or deceived by empty reforms. The challenge before our leaders is to prove that they heard – not just with their ears, but with their conscience.”
As Nigeria marks the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests, Nwanguma’s message echoes a broader sentiment of frustration among citizens who still await justice, reform, and hope for a nation that once promised change.
