#EndSARS protests: I was almost burnt alive – Desmond Elliot

#EndSARS protests: I was almost burnt alive – Desmond Elliot

Popular Nigerian actor turned politician, Desmond Elliot, has narrated how he narrowly escaped an attack by unknown assailants during the #EndSARS protests in 2020.

Daily Trust reports that #EndSARS movement was against a reviled police unit accused of extra-judicial killings and extortion of innocent citizens.

It achieved its aim of disbanding the force but was met with a violent crackdown that led to the killing of dozens of protesters.

During the protests, Elliot faced heavy backlash after a video of him speaking at a plenary session of the Lagos state House of Assembly, where he referred to Nigerian youths as children.

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This ultimately led to him being labeled “Nigeria Twitter’s number one scapegoat”, as memes and banter from users targeted him for days.

In an interview on Nollywood On Radio, the Lagos lawmaker recalled being trapped in his Surulere constituency office due to the curfew, only to face a life-threatening ambush.

He said:  “When there was curfew during the EndSARS period, a lot of bad boys came into Surulere and because of the curfew I could not go home,” he said.

“I was stuck in Lekki so I could not go home and had to go back to my office in Surulere.

“I was inside my office and never knew there was going to be anything so I was watching the TV in my office because I had the intention to spend the night at the office.

“Next thing, I heard my landlady’s daughter screaming, saying I don’t stay there.

“When I knew there was a problem was when a bottle with fuel and fire was thrown into my office and it caught fire.

“I had to call the chief of staff for help. I have never been so scared in my life, it was horrible.”

Elliot transitioned into politics in 2015, winning a seat in the Lagos State House of Assembly representing the Surulere Constituency under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

#EndSARS protests: I was almost burnt alive – Desmond Elliot