The #EndSARS (End Special Anti-Robbery Squad) protests in Nigeria are a call for massive reforms not only in the police institution but also the wider security sector that involves counter-terrorism.

If there is an African country that should understand the relationship between heavy-handed responses by law enforcement and the escalation of violence, it is Nigeria. The country is yet to grasp how extortion, torture and extrajudicial killings continue to produce a cycle of violence.

For decades, the police body responsible for protecting citizens from these acts has been the chief offender. This has sparked recent nationwide protests against a police-led Special Anti-Robbery Squad – more commonly known as SARS.

The protests are motivated by the need for accountable and responsible policing, as well as an overhaul of the security sector. Days of demonstrations led to an initial disbandment of SARS by the Inspector General of Police. Despite this, atrocities by the banned police unit have persisted and some citizens have lost their lives in the process.