A stakeholders meeting called by
the Inspector General of Police and National Human Rights Commission and
attended by representatives of the #EndSARS movement, has agreed to meet the
five-point demand of the protesters.
The meeting agreed halting use of
force against protesters and unconditional release of arrested citizens.
the 5 demands by #EndSARSProtesters
The meeting was a
multi-stakeholders’ forum attended by leaders and representatives of civil
society organisations in Nigeria, activists from the entertainment industry and
the ENDSARS movement and development partners.
The Ministry of Police Affairs and Police Service Commission were also present at the meeting that affirmed that the five-point demands of the protesters and the ENDSARS movement are genuine concerns and will be addressed by the Government.
Communiqué
A communiqué of Stakeholders’
Meeting on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Presidential Panel
on the Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) said:
“Following the public protests
regarding various forms of human rights violations by the Special Anti-Robbery
Squad (SARS) and the consequent disbandment of the unit by the Inspector
General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, there arose the need for stakeholder
engagement to build trust and restore public confidence in law enforcement.
“The agitations also brought to
the fore, the need to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Panel
on the Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“The Forum was addressed by the
Inspector General of Police and the Executive Secretary of the National Human
Rights Commission.
“The Forum collectively: welcomed
the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) by the Inspector
General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; Reaffirmed the constitutional rights of
Nigerians to peaceful assembly and protest; Further affirmed the sanctity of
life of every Nigerian and the role of the Police in protecting this right;
Affirms that the five-point demands of the protesters and the ENDSARS movement are
genuine concerns and will be addressed by the Government.’’
According to the communiqué
signed by the Inspector General of Police and Executive Secretary of the
National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, Esq, the Forum noted that the
dissolution of SARS presents an opportunity to embark on comprehensive reforms
aimed at repositioning the Nigerian Police Force as a modern, responsive and
citizens-centred law enforcement organisation.
“The Forum further notes that the
proposed reforms should be anchored under the basis of the White Paper on the
Report of the Presidential Panel on the Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery
Squad which was jointly authored by the National Human Rights Commission, the
Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Forum affirms that reform proposals for the Nigerian Police Force will be based on Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and existing legislations such as the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, 2019, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, and the National Human Rights Commission Act, 2010 amongst others.
“Following the dissolution of
SARS, the Forum calls for the following immediate steps to be taken in
restoring public confidence and trust in the Police: An order by the Inspector
General of Police to all State Commands to halt the use of force against
protesters; Unconditional release of arrested protesters and citizens; Open
communication and outreach to citizens to establish trust and confidence and a
roadmap for the implementation of the White Paper of the Presidential Panel on
the Reform of the SARS.
“The Forum welcomed the proposal
to set up an Independent Investigation Panel to look into the violations of
human rights by the defunct SARS and other segments of the Nigerian Police. The
Forum agrees to the setting up of this Independent Panel by the National Human
Rights Commission within the next one week. An open call for Memoranda from
members of the public whose rights have been violated by the defunct SARS and
other segments of the Police will be released by the Commission within one
week.
“The Forum recommends the
psychological evaluation, training and retraining of disbanded SARS officials
prior to re-deployment. The Forum resolves to set up the following Technical
Sub-Committees to design an implementation roadmap and work plan for the
implementation of the White Paper: Training, Capacity and Re-orientation;
Logistics: Infrastructure, Communications and Technology; Arrest, Detention,
and Investigations; Regulations, Oversight and Accountability and Financing and
Partnerships.’’
The communiqué stated that sub-Committees
will be supported by the National Human Rights Commission and other civil
society organisations.
Those who attended the meeting
are: Dr Kole Shettima- MAC Arthur Foundation; Innocent Chukwuma – Ford
Foundation; Jude Ilo- of OSIWA; Segun Awosanya(segalinks) – End Sars Movement;
Yemi Adamolekun- Enough is Enough; Clément Nwankwo- PLAC; Rafsanjani- CISLAC;
Kemi Okonyedo- PWAN; YZ – CITAD; Folarin Falana Falz; Prof Deji Adekunle
–NIALS; Chris Ngwodo, SSA to President Research & Policy; Dr Fatima Waziri
– Rule of Law Adviser OVP and Abdulrahman Yakubu – NHRC Secretariat.
Others are: Hilary Ogbonna- NHRC
secretariat; Halilu Adamu – NHRC Secretariat; Ben Aguh – NHRC secretariat; Dr
Uju Agomuoh – PRAWA and Onyinye Ndubuisi – UNDP.
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