When ETSU graduate student Joy Okoro heard that ETSU’s Shades of Africa was organizing a solidarity awareness march about the violence against peaceful protesters in Nigeria, she wanted to attend, especially knowing that her brother had been a victim of harassment by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Protests have emerged throughout Nigeria in October as young Nigerians are protesting against police brutality and demanding the disbandment of SARS, a special police unit in Nigeria that has been accused of human rights abuses. Okoro’s brother’s encounter with SARS happened last year.
“He was stopped in Lagos, on Lagos Island, and he was held,” Okoro said. “I remember he called me and told me how they were harassing him, how they were going through his personal phone. I mean, they infringe on human rights, so I was very sad that this continued. People have lost their relatives. My brother didn’t die but people have lost their relatives to this. So, it is annoying. It is heartbreaking.”
The Nigerian government said it would disband SARS, but demonstrations continue as protestors call for an end to all police brutality and government corruption. Nigerian security forces have shot and fired at protesters. As of Oct. 22, at least 56 people had died during the protests, according to CNN.
On Oct. 22, starting at Borchuck Plaza, ETSU’s SOA held a solidarity awareness march to condemn the killings of peaceful protestors in Nigeria. As a Nigerian herself, and someone with a personal connection to the issue, Okoro felt it was important to attend the march and help spread awareness.
“They [SARS] brutalize people,” Okoro said. “They treat people horribly, like they stop you when you’re driving. They stop you and they harass you, and now it’s gotten so violent that people are protesting in Nigeria and we want to lend our voices even though we are here in the United States. We want to create awareness, we want people to know, we want to attract other people in other countries to look into what is happening in Nigeria.”
Participants met at Borchuck Plaza at 3 p.m. to get poster boards and make signs. There, SOA President Gregory Odey explained the march route and guided the group in singing “Solidarity Forever” as he began to lead the march.
Adregbemisola Aregbe, another ETSU graduate student, also felt compelled to participate in the march as a fellow Nigerian.
“I’m Nigerian first, I’m always going to be Nigerian,” Aregbe said. “It doesn’t matter what my passport says. I am Nigerian, my children are going to be Nigerian. So, this is a cause about not just me, but about the future, about my children’s future, about the generations to come. So, that’s why I’m here. Fighting for justice for my people, fighting for equality for my people, fighting for the people of tomorrow.”
Aregbe joined other participants as they marched down Gilbreath Drive, continuing onto the sidewalk along West State of Franklin Road and ending at Founders Park in downtown Johnson City.
When they arrived at Founders Park, Odey spoke to the participants about the killings taking place in Nigeria and led them in chants. Afterwards, he thanked everyone for coming and helped pass out water bottles before leading the march back to campus. The march concluded a little after 5 p.m.
Odey said he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and that it gave him joy to see people put humanity first and come support.
“The turnout is quite impressive, overwhelming,” Odey said. “Like I never thought I was going to have this kind of turnout.”
Odey said he was thankful for the support he received from university while planning the event. He specifically noted the encouragement they received from their staff advisor, Theresa Marlow, who helped them get in contact with campus security and the Johnson City Police Department. They were also able to get water bottles from Sodexo to pass out during the event.
“The school management has demonstrated a very high level of inclusiveness on campus, and have shown a high level of consent, which is something that is key,” Odey said. “And we don’t take that for granted. We take that very seriously, and we are proud to be part of ETSU.”
One of the goals of the event, Odey said, was to film it with the hope of videos going viral. Many participants, including Odey, filmed with their phones during the march. He said they want create awareness so that the international community can lend their voice, impose sanctions and help hold the Nigerian government accountable.
Aregbe also echoed the importance of spreading awareness to the international community about these issues. She said people should be aware of what is happening in countries that are not their own because it affects everyone’s shared humanity.
“One thing that we have to realize is, yes, it might not be happening here in the United States,” Aregbe said. “But the same way that there was protests for about two months for police brutality and justice [in the U.S.] , it’s the same way that we have to realize that justice must be served regardless of if it’s within the borders of the United States or outside. Justice does not have any borders. Inequality doesn’t have any borders, regardless of where you are from. These situations affect us as a shared humanity.”
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