Martha Sambe was in pain.
She had anticipated a peaceful protest where the Nigerian government would address police brutality. Instead, she found herself in an Abuja hospital, receiving stitches after police officers inflicted a severe head injury during the #ENDSARS protests.
“It’s hard to accept that in the fight for justice and safety from police brutality, I was brutalized by the police,” Martha said.
It was October 2020, and Martha, an Abuja-based writer, joined the nationwide #ENDSARS protests with hundreds of other young Nigerians. The movement rose in response to widespread bribery, extortion, harassment, and extrajudicial killings by the Nigerian police, especially by the now-disbanded rogue unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Martha hadn’t foreseen the intense resistance she would encounter. But she and countless other Nigerians faced violence from security operatives. Throughout the protests, participants were beaten, detained without cause, tear-gassed, and, tragically, some were killed.
“With how the protests were handled, the Nigerian government showed it has no problem killing its citizens just to subdue the rest. It’s shameful,” she noted.
Martha’s experience and those of many others affected by police brutality and the #ENDSARS protests of 2020 are the focus of the newly released documentary, “October 2020.”
The documentary by the Tiger Eye Foundation, a media nonprofit championing investigative journalism, looks into the events and aftermath of the 2020 #ENDSARS protests. It captures the movement’s enduring impact on Nigeria and the wider world three years later.
“October 2020” is produced and directed by multimedia journalist, Aisha Salaudeen and narrated by reporter, Abisola Alawode. It features activists, experts, and young protesters like Martha, all touched by police brutality and the #ENDSARS movement.
According to Tiger Eye Foundation, the aim of the documentary is not just to record history, but to ensure the lessons from ENDSARS pave the way for a brighter future for the country.
Documentary link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9tKlPTo9UU
