Nigeria’s Next-Generation Protest Movement

A protester poses with a banner reading “End SARS” at the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos, Nigeria, on Oct. 18. Nelly Ating for Foreign Policy

For once in Nigeria, the youth have united against tribe, religion, and ethnicity to demand change.

For years, the Nigerian police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)—designed for tactical undercover operations to take down criminals—has extorted, harassed, and killed young people who happen to use expensive phones and drive flashy cars. The plainclothes police also target those who sport dreadlocks and tattoos.