OPINION
Five years after Nigeria’s historic protests against police brutality, two young women still embody the country’s broken promises of reform and accountability
By Okechukwu Nwanguma
Five years after the historic #EndSARS protests shook Nigeria and inspired global solidarity against police brutality, the promises that followed – justice, reform, and accountability- remain largely unfulfilled.
The government pledged to end torture, compensate victims, and reform the police into a professional, rights-respecting institution. Yet, the same abuses that provoked the protests persist with alarming impunity.
Among the many forgotten victims of this continuing injustice are two young women – Gloria Okolie and Princess Nmesoma Chukwunyere – whose plights illustrate how little has changed since the nation vowed “Never Again.”
Gloria Okolie: Forgotten Justice
In 2021, Gloria Okolie was arbitrarily arrested by police officers, secretly detained, and enslaved in custody – accused, without evidence, of being “a girlfriend of a suspected IPOB member.” For months, she was held incommunicado, dehumanized, and denied access to her family and legal counsel.
Both the FCT High Court and the ECOWAS Court of Justice later declared her arrest and detention unlawful and unconstitutional, describing it as a violation of her fundamental rights. They ordered her release and awarded her monetary compensation.
But years later, those judgments remain unimplemented. Gloria has received neither justice nor the restitution ordered by the courts. Her case stands as a stark reminder of the government’s chronic disregard for the rule of law – and of its failure to honor even its own solemn commitments.
In the spirit of the #EndSARS commemoration, the Nigerian government must immediately comply with these judicial orders. To ignore them is to mock the memory of the young Nigerians who gave their lives for justice and accountability.
Nmesoma Chukwunyere: A Young Nurse in Detention, a Nation on Trial
The ordeal of 21-year-old student nurse Princess Nmesoma Chukwunyere is a chilling replay of the abuses that ignited the #EndSARS movement.
Arrested on July 15, 2025, while working part-time at a pharmacy in Orlu, Imo State, Nmesoma was accused – without credible evidence – of involvement in a robbery. Despite the absence of any incriminating material and clear proof of her innocence, she was detained, tortured, and threatened by police officers to extract a confession.
After three weeks at the Orlu Police Division, she was transferred to the notorious Tiger Base in Owerri, where other suspects – who initially declared her innocent – suddenly reversed their statements. The reversal, following their relocation to Tiger Base, strongly suggests coercion, consistent with the documented history of torture and forced confessions at the facility.
For over 80 days, Nmesoma remained in unlawful detention without charge or trial – a direct violation of Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, which limits detention without arraignment to 24 or 48 hours.
Even after RULAAC petitioned the Imo State Police Command and the Inspector-General of Police, the authorities maintained a disturbing silence. No investigation. No response. No accountability.
Then, in an apparent act of retaliation, Nmesoma was hurriedly arraigned without prior notice to her family or lawyer – denying her the right to prepare a defense. This was not justice, but vendetta.
Such actions expose the persistent culture of impunity within sections of the police, where power is used not to protect citizens but to punish them.
Tiger Base: The Symbol of an Unreformed System
Tiger Base, officially the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, has become a synonym for torture, extortion, and lawlessness. Its continued operation despite repeated reports of human rights abuses makes a mockery of the police reform agenda and the government’s post-#EndSARS commitments.
How can we speak of reform when torture chambers like Tiger Base still exist – unchecked and unaccountable?
A Call to Action: Justice for Gloria, Justice for Nmesoma
As we mark the fifth anniversary of #EndSARS, Nigeria must confront its unhealed wounds. Commemoration without action is hypocrisy. The Nigerian authorities must show good faith and moral courage by:
Complying with all court judgments in Gloria Okolie’s case.
Releasing Nmesoma Chukwunyere immediately, or ensuring her fair and transparent trial before a competent court.
Investigating and prosecuting the officers responsible for their unlawful detention and torture.
Dismantling or reforming rogue police units like Tiger Base and ensuring genuine civilian oversight of policing operations.
Providing reparations and psychosocial support for victims of police brutality, especially women who suffer uniquely gendered violations in custody. Civilian Oversight Is Not Antagonism – It Is Democracy
Let me be clear: when I criticize police abuses, it is not because I hate the police or enjoy confrontation. It is because I believe in the potential of the Nigeria Police Force to be better – to be truly professional, lawful, and accountable.
Civilian oversight is not hostility. It is the bedrock of democratic policing. Our advocacy aims to support the police to operate responsibly and lawfully, in a manner that earns public trust and upholds justice.
Five Years On: History Is Watching
The government’s handling of Gloria and Nmesoma’s cases will define whether #EndSARS was a turning point or a tragic illusion.
If these young women continue to suffer injustice, then our nation has learned nothing and healed nothing. But if the authorities act – decisively and compassionately – they can begin to rebuild public confidence and redeem the spirit of #EndSARS.
Justice for Gloria.
Justice for Nmesoma.
Justice for all victims of police brutality.
That is the only meaningful way to mark #EndSARS @5 – with truth, accountability, and justice.
* Nwanguma is the Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability, Advocacy Centre. He writes from Lagos
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