Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has issued a stark warning that Nigeria may be on the brink of another nationwide protest movement following the gruesome extrajudicial killing of a 28-year-old suspect by a police officer in Effurun, Delta State. Sowore, who was a leading voice in the 2020 #EndSARS protests that shook the country, declared that Nigerians' hatred for police brutality is boiling over and that the resurgence of mass action is inevitable if the culture of impunity continues. "They will see an #EndSARS 2.0 coming up soon," Sowore told newsmen on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. "You can tell already by the immediate reaction of Nigerians that they hate police brutality. And if you see the guy who shot him, he was not in uniform. Most of them who are committing these atrocities are the former SARS people they should have dismissed from the police who are still in the police force. They are the ones carrying out these extra-judicial killings".
Sowore's warning came two days after a viral video captured Assistant Superintendent of Police Nuhu Usman shooting a handcuffed and helpless Mene Ogidi at close range in broad daylight. The footage, which has sparked nationwide outrage, shows Ogidi with his hands tied behind his back, pleading in Pidgin English: "I don't know anything, officer. I beg, I go tell you everything. Na my friend deceive me, I no know anything concern. Carry me go Sapele, I go carry you go meet am, please." Despite his desperate pleas and his obviously restrained condition, Usman, dressed in civilian clothes, cocked his rifle, fired once, and then reloaded and fired again. The victim died on the spot.
The activist alleged that Usman and many officers involved in such killings are former members of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) who were never dismissed but quietly reintegrated into other units of the police force. He argued that the persistence of these officers within the system has allowed a culture of abuse to continue unchecked. "They can never ever change. And they know them, but they are the ones they rely on most to do dirty jobs because they bring in the highest number of returns," Sowore said. The Delta State Police Command confirmed that the victim was apprehended after members of the public discovered a Beretta pistol with four rounds of ammunition in a parcel he was attempting to send via a waybill service. The command described Usman's action as a "clear violation of Force Order 237 and the Standard Operating Procedure of the Nigeria Police Force".
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, appeared visibly shaken in media interviews, describing the shooting as the most difficult moment of his six-year career. "There's no explanation for this. I can't even say what was wrong with that policeman," Edafe told Channels TV. "Police cannot attribute problem to spirituality, but in this case, spirituality is the only explanation for what he did". Edafe, however, insisted that the officer would not be shielded and would face murder charges. "It is not explainable, it is not pardonable. I'm very sure that guy will have his day in court and will face murder charges," he said. The Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, has condemned the act, and Usman has been transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja to face the Force Disciplinary Committee.
The 2020 #EndSARS protests, which erupted after a video of a SARS officer killing a young man went viral, drew millions of Nigerian youths into the streets demanding an end to police brutality and the disbandment of the notorious unit. The government disbanded SARS, but critics have long argued that many of its officers were simply redeployed rather than dismissed. The Nigeria Police Act 2020, a landmark legislation passed just before the protests, aimed to reform policing, but accountability has remained elusive. A 2025 analysis noted that "until accountability becomes real and officers are treated with dignity, Nigeria will continue to circle back to the same crisis".
Sowore's prediction of #EndSARS 2.0 is not an isolated warning. In February 2026, a report in YNaija noted that conversations about police brutality were resurfacing, with social media once again filled with personal accounts of alleged harassment, unlawful detention, and intimidation. The Delta shooting has added fresh fuel to these embers. Human rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who helped bring the video to public attention, wrote: "You caught him and tied both hands behind his back, stripped him of any chance to defend himself. He wasn't fighting, he wasn't running, he was begging... But you didn't listen. You pulled the trigger and ended his voice, his plea, his chance to be heard".
The Delta State Government has not issued a formal statement on the matter, but the police command has promised a transparent investigation. Calls for the dismissal of the Delta Commissioner of Police have grown louder, with Sowore demanding that all top police officials in the state be relieved of their positions immediately. "Delta has become a very difficult place recently. It is a hub for renewed repression," he said. As the video continues to circulate and public anger mounts, the question is no longer whether another protest movement will emerge, but when. The lessons of #EndSARS appear to have been forgotten by those in power, and the people are once again watching for justice that has not come.
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