Youths in some parts of Lagos state trooped out to celebrate the Inspector General of Police IGP‘s proscription of the Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS.Over the years in Nigeria, police brutality has been the order of the day.
On several occasions, the police who were expected to be protectors of the people are often the robbers, the rapists, the extortionist and even the killers of the citizens they were meant to protect.
Incessant armed robbery cases and the rate at which some Nigerian youths got involved in fraudulent acts, like cyber crimes, kidnappings and other vices were part of the reasons that made the Nigerian police authorities to set up a special unit known as Special Anti- Robbery Squad “SARS” to curb the menace and put an end them to them.
But little did they began their operations than they went into excesses with their activities.
The special unit became a menace and terror to the society especially the southern parts of Nigeria. Amnesty International was amongst the bodies that had protested against the excesses of SARS and called on the Federal Government to put an end to their activities.
In recent weeks youths in some parts of the country have been protesting and asking the Federal Government to put an end to the activities of these notorious police units.Finally the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has yielded to the recommendation of the youths and people of Nigeria by asking that the SARS unit be disbanded with immediate effect, and all members of the unit are redeployed to other units.
This announcement made some of these youths come out in large numbers and dance through the wide and narrow streets of Lagos to celebrate the ban.
Nigerians have, however, rejected the creation of the new SWAT unit, positing that it will not end the brutalization of citizens. Some also argued that the new name given to the unit will give the police unfettered rights to further harass and intimidate Nigerians as they refer to the new unit as an advanced version of SARS.
Watch The End of SARS, jubilations greets proscription.
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