SARS: Group Hails Osinbajo, Calls For Overhauling Of Entire Police Force

The group, Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER) has commended the Acting President Prof Yemi Osinbajo for directing the overhaul of the erstwhile Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), urging him to take a step further to direct the overhaul of the entire country’s police force.

A statement by Frank Tietie, Executive Director of the group however said that the directive is nebulous and does not depict any clear positive expectation with regards to structural and operational changes in the Nigerian Police system that would enhance the observation and enforcement of human rights.

The group noted that SARS, as a police unit has had a national reputation for brutality and gross human rights violations.

According to the group, documented studies and reports by human rights groups on the operations of SARS contain some of the worst cases of torture, extra-judicial killings and abuse of police powers across the world.

The statement said that Nigerians remained shocked beyond belief as they witnessed for a long time the norm of using SARS operatives as debt collectors and elements used by oppressive persons to settle scores with their rivals.

The group noted that if the federal government had strengthened the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) which has sufficient powers in law to address cases of human rights violations, the police it does not require a directive from the Acting President to discharge its functions of ensuring the observation and enforcement of the human rights of Nigerians.

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CASER said that a government that is genuinely interested in enforcing the human rights of Nigerian citizens would properly fund the NHRC and ensure that all persons found to have violated the human rights of Nigerians, are punished and their victims adequately compensated.

It held that the swift and dramatic response of the Inspector General of Police to the directive of the Acting President appears cosmetic and does not in the face of it, address any of the problems of gross human rights abuses that are associated with the erstwhile SARS.

“Therefore, nothing short of the total disbandment of the concept of special squads such as SARS and the establishment of a comprehensive, civil police operational standard, including training and a review of the quality of individual policemen, may be a fitting starting point in reversing the obsolescent police service offered to Nigerians and the poor reputation of the Nigerian police, Tietie added.