42,000 Britons Sign Petition Against Nigerian Government

A petition requesting that the federal government and public officials be sanctioned by the United Kingdom for human rights abuses over the #EndSARS movement, has been signed by 42,000 British people.

The Nigerian government with the police were accused of violating the rights of agitators protesting against police brutality.

It urged the UK to implement sanctions that allow “individuals and entities that violate human rights around the world to be targeted”.

“Deploying sanctions would provide accountability for and be a deterrent to anyone involved in violations of human rights,” it read.

The petition was created on Tuesdat and can only be signed by British citizens and residents, and would only be considered when it reaches 100,000 signatures.

The protest is part of a nationwide #EndSARS movement which started as an opposition against the now-dissolved special anti-robbery squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police force.

Agitators are demanding for better treatment, improved governance and justice for victims of police brutality.

Although it had progressed peacefully in most parts of the country, some states are beginning to record violence after suspected thugs allegedly hijacked the movement.

On Tuesday, police stations were burnt in Lagos and Oyo states, barely 24 hours after some were set ablaze in Edo state.

Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Ekiti and Osun have all declared a 24-hour curfew in the aftermath of the violence, while security operatives were reported to have shot at protesters who had converged on the Lekki toll gate in Lagos.