Protesters who are demanding the disbandment of the special
anti-robbery squad (SARS) are currently at the police headquarters in Abuja,
demanding to meet Mohammed Adamu, inspector general of police (IGP).
Chanting “End SARS Now, End SARS Now”, the protesters vowed
not to leave the place until they meet with the IGP.
A senior police officer, who came out of the building to
address the crowd, was interrupted as shouts of “We want to see the IG” rented
the air.
Abdul Mahmud, a human rights lawyer who led the protesters
to the police headquarters, failed in his bid to pacify the protesters.
Gun-wielding policemen were on standby as the protesters
blocked the road in front of the force headquarters.
There has been a nationwide outrage over what many,
especially young persons, describe as the excesses of SARS, a unit of the
police.
Aggrieved youth spent the night in front of the Lagos house
of assembly on Thursday, prompting Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker, to summon an
emergency meeting.
Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of the state, also sued for
calm but the aggrieved persons vowed to remain on the streets until the federal
government disbands SARS.
On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari summoned the IGP to
the presidential villa over the nationwide unrest.
The president later issued a statement where he said he had
instructed Adamu to bring erring police officers to book.
“I met again with the Inspector General of Police tonight.
Our determination to reform the police should never be in doubt. I am being
briefed regularly on the reform efforts ongoing to end police brutality and
unethical conduct, and ensure that the Police are fully accountable to the
people,” he had said.
“The IG already has
my firm instructions to conclusively address the concerns of Nigerians
regarding these excesses, and ensure erring personnel are brought to justice. I
appeal for patience and calm, even as Nigerians freely exercise their right to
peacefully make their views known.
“The vast majority of men and women of the Nigeria Police
Force are patriotic and committed to protecting the lives and livelihoods of
Nigerians, and we will continue to support them to do their job.”
A footage showing SARS officers dragging two men from a
hotel in Lagos, shooting one of them triggered the latest unrest.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com