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What Do Streets and Sidewalks Represent? Policing the Youths and City Dwellers in Nigeria
Maduka Chukwudi, Chinedu Esomike
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DOI:10.17265/2159-550X/2026.07.002
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
Protests and demonstrations often originate from a place of strong motivation. But what exactly motivates demonstrators, and where do these events typically begin? Cities’ dwellers perceive and define each demonstration. Most of the urban residents create and challenge suppression. Moreover, do street activities have an impact on government programs and reflect the everyday experiences of the population? What are the state, regional, and formal institutions’ contributions to street demonstrations? These are some of the questions that arise considering the colonial and postcolonial police activities in Nigeria and how they have approached their duty of “protecting lives and properties”. This research explores these questions by examining the 2020 End SARS protests in Nigeria. The movement demonstrate how the streets have defined laws and protected the interests of the people, which had resulted in numerous deaths. This research utilizes ethnographic and library-historical methods to discuss urban streets as a last resort for ordinary people in pursuance of public interest and government reforms and policies that adversely affect them. The streets, using the postcolonial demonstrations, have become a symbol of people’s everyday lives and a space where activities often define the programs and policies of the Nigerian government.
streets, urban dwellers, protests, Nigeria, everyday life
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