Latest news with #EndSARS
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Image from Uganda of dilapidated police homes misrepresented as being in Nigeria
'Self contained apartments of police officers killing peaceful protesters demonstrating against bad governance,' reads the caption of a photo published on X on May 6, 2025. The photo shows hut-like structures made of iron, with brown cone-shaped roofs clustered in an open space. The post, shared more than 1,800 times, was published by Rinu Oduala, a Nigerian social activist who has more than 800,000 followers on X. While the post does not explicitly say the photo was taken in Nigeria, many appeared to believe it was. 'The tragedy called Nigeria police force,' wrote one user. During the two-week EndSARS protests in October 2020, armed security operatives opened fire on protesters in Lagos, the epicentre of the demonstrations, resulting in fatalities (archived here). In August 2024, Amnesty International accused security officials of killing 21 people during the economic hardship protests, a claim the police disputed, claiming only seven deaths were noted and denying responsibility for them (archived here). The protests used the hashtag #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria online. However, the photo shared on X shows police quarters in Uganda, not Nigeria. A reverse image search established that the photo has appeared in older Facebook posts from Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, with each implying it originated in their respective countries. The earliest appearance of the photo we found was in a 2012 article published by the Ugandan edition of the Monitor, which reported on the poor living conditions of police officers (archived here). A 2019 article by Kampala-based news site ChimpReports also featured the photo, suggesting the location was the Naguru Police Barracks in Kampala, Uganda (archived here). This is corroborated by a Google Maps search of the barracks, which shows features and structures visually consistent with those in the photo shared on X. The trees and brown roofs of the cone-shaped and flat-roofed iron structures seen on Google Maps match those seen in the photo. A February 2025 tweet from the verified X account of the Uganda Police Force showcased the Old Bukwo Police Station, which, before its reconstruction, was housed in similar iron structures (archived here). Bukwo is in eastern Uganda. Furthermore, in April 2025, the Ugandan Police Force announced the construction of new apartments at the Naguru barracks (archived here). Read other debunks by AFP Fact Check on the EndSARS protests in Nigeria here.
AFP
27-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Image from Uganda of dilapidated police homes misrepresented as being in Nigeria
'Self contained apartments of police officers killing peaceful protesters demonstrating against bad governance,' reads the caption of a photo published on X on May 6, 2025. The photo shows hut-like structures made of iron, with brown cone-shaped roofs clustered in an open space. Image Screenshot of the misleading X post, taken on May 20, 2025 The post, shared more than 1,800 times, was published by Rinu Oduala, a Nigerian social activist who has more than 800,000 followers on X. While the post does not explicitly say the photo was taken in Nigeria, many appeared to believe it was. 'The tragedy called Nigeria police force,' wrote one user. During the two-week EndSARS protests in October 2020, armed security operatives opened fire on protesters in Lagos, the epicentre of the demonstrations, resulting in fatalities (archived here). In August 2024, Amnesty International accused security officials of killing 21 people during the economic hardship protests, a claim the police disputed, claiming only seven deaths were noted and denying responsibility for them (archived here). The protests used the hashtag #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria online. However, the photo shared on X shows police quarters in Uganda, not Nigeria. Ugandan police quarters A reverse image search established that the photo has appeared in older Facebook posts from Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, with each implying it originated in their respective countries. The earliest appearance of the photo we found was in a 2012 article published by the Ugandan edition of the Monitor, which reported on the poor living conditions of police officers (archived here). A 2019 article by Kampala-based news site ChimpReports also featured the photo, suggesting the location was the Naguru Police Barracks in Kampala, Uganda (archived here). This is corroborated by a Google Maps search of the barracks, which shows features and structures visually consistent with those in the photo shared on X. The trees and brown roofs of the cone-shaped and flat-roofed iron structures seen on Google Maps match those seen in the photo. Image Screenshot showing similarities between the satellite imagery of Naguru Barracks on Google Maps (left) and the photo in the misleading X post (right) A February 2025 tweet from the verified X account of the Uganda Police Force showcased the Old Bukwo Police Station, which, before its reconstruction, was housed in similar iron structures (archived here). Bukwo is in eastern Uganda. Furthermore, in April 2025, the Ugandan Police Force announced the construction of new apartments at the Naguru barracks (archived here). Read other debunks by AFP Fact Check on the EndSARS protests in Nigeria here.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Nnamdi Kanu deny responsibility for wetin happun for Lagos during EndSARS protest
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) don deny responsibility for di destruction of property wey happen for Lagos state during di EndSARS protest of October 2021. Dis na one of di tins wey come to light for di ongoing trial of di secessionist leader wey Nigerian goment dey accuse of terrorism. For di hearing on Thursday 8 May, Adegboyega Awomolo wey be di lawyer to di Nigeria goment call out di second witness - Mr BBB - to continue wit im witness, and di court also play one CD plate wia DSS officers dey interview Nnamdi Kanu for dia headquarters for Abuja for July 17, 2021. For dat video, Kanu wearing black sweater dey wit im lawyers - one of dem na Aloy Ejimako. Di DSS officers ask Kanu weda e dey aware say im broadcast on October 20, 2020 bin lead to violence, killings and destruction of public infrastructure for Lagos State, Kanu say "Lagos no be Biafran territory so wetin happun for Lagos no fit dey attributed to me". "But you get authority over all di people for di southeast," di DSS officers bin ask Kanu, and e say e no get such authority. "If I get dat kind authority ova dem, I no for dey call for referendum, I for just wake up one day and say let us have Biafra," Kanu tok. "We get republican orientation. Anybody wey claim say e get control ova di pipo of di east dey make mistake. We dey republican in nature," Kanu tok. E say even though im be leader of di Ipob movement, di running of di day to day affairs of di group na di job of di directorate of state of the group. Wen dem ask am weda e dey aware say IPob elements don dey associated wit violence and killings, Kanu rejected di allegation kpatakpata. "You just dey look for something wey you go pin on IPob to call am violent group." Di DSS pipo ask Kanu about di statement he bin make on May 30 2021 wia e call for sit at home, e respond say e call for sit at home true-true, but e no force anybodi. "E just be like wen your child offend you for house and you say to am 'I go kill you today' shey dat one mean say you go kill di child?" Kanu tok for di video. For im final remarks for di video, Kanu tok say: "di pesin we ask di army to attack my house, dat pesin na di real enemy, bicos I bin already dey for discussions wit eminent pipo for di southeast including Professor Ban Nwabueze as we dey try to get political solution to dis matter." Afta di video finish playing, Mr BBB tell di court say from dia investigations, dem establish say many of di killings wey bin happen for di southeast dey directly connected to di broadcasts of Nnamdi Kanu. Some of dem include di killing of former special adviser to di President, Ahmed Gulak, who dem bin kpai on May 30 wey be di day Kanu bin declare as sit at home. Anoda one na di murder of one army couple - Gloria Mathew and Linus Musa - who dem kill and cut off dia head as dem dey travel for dia traditional marriage, and also di killing of one retired justice. Afta Mr BBB conclude im witness, di trial judge James Omotosho adjourned di matter to May 14, 21 and 22 for continuation of hearing.
Daily Maverick
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Loaded for Bear: Social unrest and mass protests rise ‘exponentially' across Africa
When viewed through a continent-wide prism, the service delivery protest phenomenon in South Africa is clearly not just a local development, but a reflection of wider regional trends and simmering discontent across Africa with economic stagnation and state failure. Fed up with corrupt elites, widening inequality, political repression and withering economic opportunities, Africans are taking to the streets in unprecedented waves of protest. 'Social unrest is on the rise across the continent,' the World Bank says in its latest Africa's Pulse report, a bi-annual assessment of developments on the world's poorest continent. 'Although most have been peaceful, there has been an exponential increase in mass demonstrations over the past 20 years. The increase in protests has accelerated since the early 2010s, increasing by 12% on average each year over a decade.' 'Service delivery protests' erupted in South Africa two decades ago and the term has, like 'load shedding', become embedded in the country's vocabulary. When viewed through this continent-wide prism, the service delivery protest phenomenon in South Africa is clearly not just a local development, but a reflection of wider regional trends and simmering discontent across Africa with economic stagnation and state failure. 'While protests tend to be highly localised events, they are all triggered to some extent by citizens' dissatisfaction with their livelihoods, including the cost of living, job opportunities and access to public services,' the World Bank notes. 'Protesters regularly attribute their lack of opportunities to the government's failure to manage the economy and its corruption and inability to deliver on its distributive mandate. In 2024, youth protests in Botswana, Kenya and Uganda highlighted corruption as a major grievance, and protesters in Ghana and Nigeria focused on poor economic management and fiscal decisions that they perceived as unfair.' Where there is smoke… Where there is smoke, there is fire and these blazes, fanned by the winds of discontent, are mirroring recent wildfires stoked by climate change in their size and intensity. 'Particularly large and enduring events have occurred across the continent since 2019… Protests have arisen across levels of economic development, political regime types and countries, including in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Sudan. In 2024, there were 7,224 demonstrations in the region, comprising 5,911 protests and 1,313 riots, compared to 2,780 a decade earlier,' the report says. Mobile phones and social media have obviously been key drivers of protests, especially among Africa's swelling youth demographic – sometimes with positive outcomes. 'The #EndSARS protest in Nigeria called for the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, which was notorious for police brutality, and led to its effective disbanding,' the report says. That was a victory for civil society and accountability. But outright repression and onerous regulation are constraints on social media in several African countries – and digital access is extremely limited in many places. Another key driver of protest in Africa is the region's explosive demographic situation. The region's population is simply growing too fast for new entrants to be absorbed into the labour market. 'The fast growth of the working-age population, averaging 3% annually since the late 2000s, has not been met with matching levels of job growth. Moreover, it is expected that the youth population (ages 15 to 34) will nearly double, from 499 million in 2024 to 846 million by 2050,' the report says. There is a vicious cycle at work here. 'The link between economic grievance and political stability runs both ways: poor economic opportunity exacerbates political discontent, while the risk of conflict and violence can severely undermine economic activity and investment. Annual growth in countries in conflict is about 2.5 percentage points lower on average, with the impact on per capita GDP increasing over the duration of the conflict,' the report says. This is a wake-up call for African governments – protesters are demanding accountability as seen in the flare-ups after last year's bitterly-contested election in Mozambique, where the ruling Frelimo Party seems incapable of relinquishing its grip on power ahead of an expected windfall from offshore gas projects. Things have clearly reached a boiling point. The report notes that there has been no significant decline in inequality in Africa since 2000, and the blessings of economic growth have been uneven. While extreme poverty has declined, it is a dismal category in which almost 40% of Africans still find themselves trapped. 'It is not surprising, therefore, that income is highly concentrated at the top levels of earnings: the richest 10% in the region receive almost 56% of total income, matching some of the highest levels worldwide,' the report says.
