EndSARS: Group Task Buhari on Not Merely Dissolving Unit
In the wake of the #EndSARS protest where millions of young Nigerians have unanimously called for the dissolution of the rogue Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian Police Force, a group, Connected Development, CODE has restated its demands that it is not enough for Mr. President to merely dissolve the unit of the FSARS.
Making the demands in a statement signed by its Communication Officer Kevwe Oghide, it stated that Nigerians have long battled the menace of dire brazen security challenges, ranging from Boko Haram insurgency to Farmer-Herders clash, spates of sexual and gender-based violence and the menace of the rogue police unit.
She said: ” It is not enough to merely dissolve the unit of the Nigerian Police; CODE demands that perpetrators of the police/SARS brutality and extrajudicial killings face the wrath of the law and are held accountable, especially leading up to those peaceful protesters who were either shot or killed during this recent protest. There must also be a thorough investigation into all alleged SARS-induced disappearances & killings.
” The embodiment of the Security force must rethink the lame strategy of overburdening security agencies and vigilante groups and invest in adequate training and capacity building. This will reduce overhead and operational costs, efficiently improve the security expenditure and expose the inherent corruption in the system.
”The apparent lack of transparency and opaque budget and procurement practices in the management and utilization of security funds in Nigeria has contributed to its operational shortcomings and frequent misconduct.
”It is quite unfortunate that the President has not displayed the political will and courage to remedy these problems. He should seize this opportunity to win back citizens’ trust”.
The group however commends the thousands of Nigerian Youth who took to the streets protesting and decrying the alarming police brutality, assaults and wanton killing of young unassuming Nigerians by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
She reiterated that, ” This shows that when advocacy is intentional and our voice is unified, citizens have the ability to spur the change we need to see. Nigerians should not be silent in the face of injustice but must continue to speak against it”, she said
