Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has long been accused of harassment, unlawful arrests, torture, and even murders. This week, thousands of Nigerians marched across the country in protest to demand that the government disband the feared police unit.
The campaign was equally forceful on social media with the #EndSARS hashtag trending online globally for several days.
Celebrities like Davido added their voice and star-power to the campaign and now the government has disbanded the brutal unit.
#IGPDissolvesSARS pic.twitter.com/A1TvvefbOu
— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) October 11, 2020
What’s next for Nigerians?
Muhammed Adamu, Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police says the Nigerian police force would work with human rights groups and civil society organizations to investigate cases of alleged human rights violations.
A report by Amnesty International listed what it alleged were 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment, and extra-judicial execution by the SARS between January 2017 and May 2020.
The abuses were carried out under the supervision of high-ranking officers, it said.
It accused the squad of the “systematic use of torture” and alleged the existence of torture chambers within the Nigerian Police Force.
These matters are not ones that can be swept under the carpet of politics. Lives were put at stake because a unit of law enforcement turned itself into a law unto themselves. It is time for the Nigerian government to bring these officers to book and protect the lives and properties of average Nigerians.
