Post Endsars Protest: Exploring Subjective Perception of Police Victims in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined public perception of police in post endsars mass protest. The aim of the study was to verify public relationship with police as spillover from violent mass protest. The study was hinged on value-added theory. Six-hundred respondents were surveyed and criteria for inclusion was victim of police brutality. Exploratory design was adopted using quantitative method. Sampling method consisted of purposive and accidental. Lagos was purposively chosen as epicentre of endsars protest; victims of police brutality were chosen purposively. Accidental method applied to select participants in the study. Data were collected and analysed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics. Analytically, 78.5% male participated in the survey, mean age of respondents was 44.5. Subjective perception of police in pre-endsars was classified and consisted of fine officer (21.3%), disgusted officer (33.0%) and compromising officer (45.7%). Police rating in post endsars protest was classified. Thus, 71.5% rated police as partially law abiding and 18.3% felt police misconduct persisted. In the post protest, Level of police brutality was rated low given the score mark 40%. Using regression model, demographic characteristics predicted victims’ intention to participate in violent protest against police brutality (R.324, R2 .50). The model was significant at p<.000. Victims’ age (mean=1.5), occupation (mean=2.4), income (mean=1.9) and sex (mean=4.1) predicted protest intention against police. Level of police brutality in post Lagos endsars protest was low, consequent upon endsars protest. It is recommended that treatment of offenders by police should be guided by rules and regulations. Police require sound training to uphold ethnic of policing.

Received: 14 March 2022 / Accepted: 30 April 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022