#EndSARS Protests: I thought It Was About Virus – Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua, British-Nigerian boxer, says he initially mistook the #EndSARS protests for agitation against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Ekohotblog had reported how thousands of youth across the country, in October, thronged the streets to protest against police brutality and also demand the disbandment of the murderous and notorious special anti-robbery squad (SARS)

The boxer subsequently joined other celebrities to lend his voice to the peaceful agitation and call for police reform.

Consequently, the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) was dissolved.

But in an interview with The PUNCH newspaper, Joshua said he had never heard of anything about the disbanded unit before the protests neither did he have the cause to encounter them while in Nigeria.

He disclosed that it was his uncle who drew his attention to the demonstration and he could help but throw his weight behind the lofty cause for police reform in the country.

He noted that it was important to find a common ground in which the parties involved will not feel shortchanged in addressing the issues that spurred the demonstration.

“I never knew what SARS was during my time in Nigeria. I never encountered SARS, so, when the movement started happening, I thought SARS was maybe like a virus, I didn’t know SARS,” Joshua reportedly said.

“One day after training, my uncle called me and this was just before the issue of the Lekki toll gate. About five hours before it, he called me and told me about the situation on the ground. He told me the people of Nigeria loved me and wanted to hear my voice on it.

“I told him I didn’t know enough about it to talk about it and he said I should just lend my voice and bring awareness. So, I said if it’s what I can do for now, let me just lend my voice and bring my attention to it because I have a big platform.

“So, I just said it’s important to find a common ground because you can’t overthrow the government in a minute, but we need to find a common solution that will benefit the people.

“So I thought it was important for me to send out a positive message and shortly after that, about four hours later, people had been murdered at the toll gate. So, I said this wasn’t only about finding a common ground, this had to stop. But I didn’t want to go back on my message, I had sent a message out and I had done a lot more research about the #EndSARS movement.”

Read Also: #EndSARS: Protester Shot By Soldiers Now Amputee, Lawyer Tells Panel

Joshua said the #EndSARS protest piqued him and propelled him to do research and read more about Nigeria, its history, ethnic groups, colonial era, among others.

He disclosed that from what he read, he realised  that the country has huge potentials and what it takes to be a great nation, and that what it’s lacking is good leadership.

“I also started learning about colonial history, the structure of the political powers, the Hausa, the Yoruba, the Igbo. I learnt about the Biafra war, I learnt about Lady Lugard, I learnt about why Nigeria is called Nigeria – because of the River Niger and the area,” he said.

“So, I started doing a lot of research on the country and I found out that the country has so much potential. It is a country where people are thriving to be better and with the leaders, they need to put more into the people, and that is what the #EndSARS is about.

“It is not just about the police, it is about good government looking after the people, and that is what the people want and I am with the people. I am a man of the people, so I support what they say.

“And from that #EndSARS movement, it educated me what SARS was. It educated me about the issues in Nigeria, it gave me more. I felt proud to be a Nigerian because I learnt more about the country’s heritage after the #EndSARS movement.”