Former vice president backs scrapping of police unit

dimeji akinloye

December 3, 2017 1:44 PM

Atiku said the protest shows that Nigerian youths are angry, urging the Federal Government to urgently address the matter.

Former vice-president

Nigerians on Sunday, December 3, 2017, took to the microblogging platform, Twitter, protesting excesses of the SARS policemen.

This is coming after incidents of brutality, abuse and harassment reported against men of the police department.

Many want the on Police authorities to scrap the unit.

Young Nigerians push for end of police brutality with #ENDSARS

In a couple of tweets, Atiku said the protest shows that Nigerian youths are angry, urging the Federal Government to urgently address the matter.

The Nigerian Police Force Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) had on Saturday, December 2, announced the opening of channels through which the public can report complaints about SARS.

[No available link text]

In October 2017, a 2015 graduate of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ekwere Imoh, was shot by policemen attached to SARS, Oyo State Police Command.

The policemen also shot a female friend of his, identified as Doris, who was with him.

There were no concrete reasons for shooting the duo as they were neither criminals nor under arrest.

Earlier in the same month, a lady, Kachi Anifela Zion, accused officers of SARS in Ilorin of sexual molestation. She said a male SARS official under the pretense of searching her, dipped his hand in her underwear.

ALSO READ: Atiku insists Nigeria must restructure to get governance right

She further revealed that the SARS official threatened to beat her if she shouted, adding that the officer continued to fondle, rough handle and humiliate her for several minutes. The SARS official implicated in the matter was later arrested.

In November, a video also emerged online, where a gun-wielding SARS operative threatened to shoot two people at Akute area of Ogun State.

dimeji akinloye