Several persons have been injured after hoodlums
hijacked the SARSMustEnd protest in Abuja on
Wednesday.
The protesters who were marching across major streets in the
city were said to have been attacked by a pro-SARS group – turning
what had started as a peaceful protest into raging violence,
characterized by shattered windscreens and bleeding people.
The group who claimed to be supporters of the police subunit,
SARS, said the ongoing #EndSARS protests were capable of
demoralising the police.
This comes about 24 hours after the Inspector-General of Police,
Mohammed Adamu, set up a new unit called the Special Weapons and
Tactics (SWAT) Team, to replace the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery
Unit (SARS).
Despite the development, the protests have remained unabated as
many Nigerians believe that a mere change of name is not the
solution to the problem.
This quickly sparked a new trend #EndSWAT; with Nigerians
demanding immediate justice for all victims of police brutality,
among other things.
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Pro-SARS protesters on Wednesday, October 14.
The protesters have defied all efforts to stop them and are bent
on continuing until all their demands are met.
Some of the demands include releasing all arrested protesters,
justice and compensation for families of victims, the creation of
an independent body to oversee the prosecution of officers (within
10 days), psychological evaluation of disbanded officers before
redeployment, and the increase of police officers’ salaries.
While the police appear to be making some effort, many Nigerians
feel it is not satisfactory.
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Beyond setting up a new unit, prospective members of the new
(SWAT) team are expected to undergo a psychological and medical
examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new
assignment.
Pro-SARS protesters on Wednesday, October 14.
The IGP has also ordered all personnel of the disbanded SARS to
report to the Force headquarters in Abuja for debriefing,
psychological and medical examination.
While a time-frame for the medical evaluation has not been
disclosed, the IGP was quoted to have said in a statement by the
Force PRO, Frank Mba, that the officers are expected to undergo the
process as a prelude to further training and reorientation before
being redeployed into mainstream policing duties.
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