La Casa de Papel Characters Featured in Nigeria's Protests: Calls to End Police Brutality Intensifies for the Second Week

As mass protests continue to rock Nigeria's major cities calling for an end to police brutality, social media people have been heavily interacting with the youth movement that has turned into a national sensation, sharing hundreds of photos that document that extraordinary event.

Amidst heavy protests sweeping through Africa's largest city Lagos and the Nigerian capital Abuja, Nigerian youth are celebrating their movement on social media by tweeting in support of protestors, voicing out their rejection of "police brutality" and calling for major reforms in the country.

One photo depicted two protestors who dressed as two characters from the popular Spanish TV Show La Casa De Papel, also known as Money Heist, as they held Nigerian flags during a recent protest.

Using the hashtags #EndSARS, #EndPoliceBrutalityinNigeraNOW, and #EndBadGoveranceInNigeria, social media users tweeted the photo and named Tokyo and Nairobi, in reference to two of the main characters in the La Casa De Papel, where a group of thieves fought against corruption and injustice.

The reference to Money Heist comes especially symbolic as the End SARS movement was triggered mainly as a response to inhumane acts committed by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), including murder and torture.

While the protests have been mostly peaceful, BBC has reported that several attacks against protestors have been launched by armed groups, which has urged Amnesty international to warn of the escalating violence in the country.