One Month After #EndSARS: The Scars That Refuse to Heal

 

It is barely one month since the #EndSARS protests reached their tragic climax at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, but for many Nigerian families, time has done little to ease the pain. The chants for justice have faded from the streets, yet in countless homes, grief remains loud and unrelenting.

Far from the spotlight of Lagos, in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, one mother lives each day with a heartbreak no parent should ever endure.

Janet Okakpu, a widowed petty trader, struggles to come to her two sons, Chibuike Okakpu and Victor Okakpu, who lived in Lagos, joined thousands of other young Nigerians at the peaceful #EndSARS protest at the Lekki Toll Gate.

They never returned home together.

Chibuike lost his life during the unrest that followed the protest. Weeks later, his body remains unreleased for burial, leaving his mother trapped in a painful state of uncertainty. As tradition and faith call for her son to be laid to rest with dignity, Janet's plea has remained the same: "Please allow me to bury my son."

Her suffering does not end there.

Victor, her second son, has remained missing since the protest. Every knock on the door raises hope. Every phone call brings anxious anticipation. Every passing day deepens the fear that another tragedy may yet unfold.

For Janet, the #EndSARS movement is no longer just a national conversation about police reform. It has become a personal story of loss, unanswered questions, and an empty seat at the family table.

Across Nigeria, many families share similar stories. Some mourn children who never came home. Others continue searching for loved ones whose whereabouts remain unknown. Many survivors carry emotional wounds that may never fully heal.

The demands that brought young Nigerians to the streets were rooted in a desire for justice, accountability, and respect for human life. Those aspirations remain as relevant today as they were before the protests. Yet for families like the Okakpus, justice also means knowing the truth, recovering missing loved ones, and being allowed the simple dignity of laying the dead to rest.

As the nation moves forward, it must not leave behind those who continue to bear the deepest consequences of those turbulent days. Healing requires more than the passage of time. It requires compassion, accountability, and a sincere commitment to ensuring that no Nigerian family is forced to endure such pain again.

For Janet Okakpu, every sunrise is another reminder of a son she cannot bury and another day spent waiting for a son who may never return.

One month after #EndSARS, the protests may have ended, but for many families, the mourning continues.