Human Rights and Police Reform in Nigeria: Lessons from the #EndSARS Movement

This research examines the human rights dimension of calls for police reform in Nigeria following the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, which demanded the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and broader systemic reform of the Nigerian Police Force. The protests, which spread across major cities including Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, highlighted decades of documented police brutality, extortion, unlawful detention, and torture. The study situates its analysis within the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, and domestic accountability frameworks including the Police Act 2020. A documentary analysis methodology is employed, drawing on panel of inquiry reports submitted to state governments, Amnesty International's documentation of security force violence against protesters, and civil society reform proposals. The research also reviews the implementation record of the reforms promised by the Nigerian government following the protests. Findings reveal that fundamental structural reforms, including independent oversight of the police, prosecutorial accountability for officers, and reparations for victims, remain largely unimplemented three years after the protests. The study argues that the absence of meaningful reform reflects entrenched institutional resistance and a governance culture of impunity. Recommendations include legislative establishment of an independent police oversight authority and victims' reparations program. Keywords: #EndSARS, police reform, human rights, SARS, police brutality.