#SARSMustEnd Protests: Nigerians Are Tired Of Living In Fear – Femi Gbajabiamila

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has come out to say that the Green chamber is focused on effecting vital reforms in the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

He recently revealed that he has begged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, to come up with a quick plan for the identification and compensation for victims of police brutality in the country.

According to him, the House also believes that the police should be reformed and steps must be taken to address the situation, such as the recent Police Reform Act.

He added that there should also be a functioning police complaint unit that will be a liaison between the citizenry and the police since Nigerians are done living in fear.

His words, “The amended Police Reform Act contains most, if not all, of the grievances and demand Nigerians want to see, including a functioning police complaint unit that should be a liaison between the citizenry and the police, as Nigerians can no longer live in fear of those who are supposed to protect them.”

“The House has been at the forefront of addressing the inhuman treatment meted on Nigerians by some of the SARS operatives, the Speaker noted that all the demands relayed have been captured in a motion sponsored by the House Leader, Rep. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, many days before the protests even commenced”.

“I also emphasized the position of the House on the need to have an independent system for monitoring police actions and holding police officers to proper account for failures to follow the law and the police code.

“Besides, he restated the determination of the House to legislate on the lasting solutions to the problems of policing in Nigeria”.

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The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is a Nigerian Police Force unit under the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department headed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Anthony Ogbizi. Since 2012, SARS has come under controversy for being linked to acts of extortion, torture, framing and blackmail.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad was founded in 1992 by former police commissioner Simeon Danladi Midenda. The major reason SARS was formed was when Col. Rindam, a Nigerian Army Colonel was killed by police officers at a checkpoint in Lagos.

SARS is one of the 14 units in the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department which was established to detain, investigate and prosecute people involved in crimes like armed robbery, kidnapping and other forms of crimes.

During its formation the Special Anti-Robbery Squad was known to operate covertly. SARS operatives were not allowed to wear police uniform, publicly carry guns or have walkie-talkies. They were given unmarked vehicles with sometimes no license plates or private plate numbers during duty.