POLICE BRUTALITY AND PUBLIC TRUST AFTER THE ENDSARS PROTEST IN IBADAN METROPOLIS, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The glaring contradiction of security forces violating the very human rights they are mandated to protect has created a severe crisis of public trust. This research investigates the persistence of police brutality and the restoration of public trust following the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria. The study focuses on three main objectives: to examine the prevalence of police brutality, to identify the strategies implemented to prevent it, and to assess the impact of the EndSARS protest on police conduct in the Ibadan metropolis. Guided by Institutional Theory, which explains how organizational norms resist external pressure for change. The study employed a mixed-methods approach. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires and key informant interviews across selected areas in Ibadan. A sample size of 383 was determined using Cochran’s formula, and 375 copies were retrieved and duly analysed using SPSS version 26. The thematic analysis was ued to analyse the qualitative data from interview. Findings indicate that despite the protests, police brutality continues to thrive. Furthermore, a majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with government measures such as judicial panels, psychiatric screening, and improved welfare, labelling them as insufficient. The study concludes that while the EndSARS protest successfully raised awareness of human rights abuses, it has not significantly reformed police conduct in Ibadan. The study recommended that there remains a pressing need for community policing, robust independent oversight and a fundamental shift in police organisational culture.