The protests turned bloody on Tuesday in Lagos, the country's largest city, as rallies continued despite a state-wide curfew. Eyewitnesses told CNN that multiple demonstrators had been shot by soldiers.
The inspector general of police announced 10 days ago that the controversial SARS unit was being disbanded and its officers redeployed.
But protests have continued in cities across the country, with some young Nigerians insisting they will continue to take to the streets until the entire police force is reformed.
So what is SARS and why is it so controversial?
For more than a quarter of a century, SARS took the lead on the country's most serious crimes -- armed robbery, kidnapping, assault and murder. But over time it has become notorious for alleged abuses committed with apparent impunity.
The government promised to overhaul the unit in 2018 following a months-long social media campaign by Nigerian activists protesting alleged human rights abuses by the squad. In January 2019, the police announced further reforms to the unit.
But critics say the #EndSARS campaign has resulted in little change.
Human rights group Amnesty International released a damning report in June this year in which it said it had documented 82 cases of police brutality in Nigeria between 2017 and 2020.
"Detainees in SARS custody have been subjected to a variety of methods of torture including hanging, mock execution, beating, punching and kicking, burning with cigarettes, waterboarding, near-asphyxiation with plastic bags, forcing detainees to assume stressful bodily positions and sexual violence," the report said.
"Findings from our research indicate that few cases are investigated and hardly any officers are brought to justice on account of torture and other ill-treatment."
When contacted by CNN earlier this month regarding allegations of misconduct by SARS officers, Lagos state spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said that all complaints against its officers were carefully investigated and appropriate sanctions applied to offenders. He encouraged people affected by police misconduct to report the abuses.
How did the recent unrest begin?
After weeks of outcry online from young people in the country over claims of kidnapping, harassment and extortion by SARS, protesters began taking to the streets about two weeks ago.
While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, police have been accused of using excessive force against some protesters, allegedly causing a number of deaths and injuries.
Amnesty International said in a tweet Tuesday that "thugs and sponsored hoodlums" were also attacking peaceful protesters across the country.
The #EndSARS campaign gained increased traction globally after international celebrities such as US rapper Kanye West, singer Trey Songz (real name Tremaine Aldon Neverson), former professional footballer Rio Ferdinand and "Star Wars" actor John Boyega spoke out in support of the protests.
Members of the Nigerian diaspora community also organized protests in solidarity with their counterparts at home, with demonstrati
