Some residents of Lagos have commenced a three-day protest to call for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
The protest is part of the push for the reform of the police system to put an end to the extra-judicial activities of the agency.
The protesters said the action will hold from Wednesday through Friday with a march to the Force Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos, as well as the Lagos State Government House.
According to one of the organisers of the protest, the demands of the demonstrators include the need for the transparent prosecution of all officers involved in extra-judicial activities, justice for victims of extra-judicial activities as well as the call for the police to have a list of officers that have been found culpable of extra-judicial activities.
Other demands include “public enquiry on the activities of the unit in the past one year, compensation to be given to verifiable victims both dead and alive, tags on all policemen with names and job details, no police officer should be found in civil wear while on duty with a gun, police should stop going around in unidentifiable cars or buses and digital mediums for tracking cases with the police.”
Recall that musician, Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley, proposed a similar #ENDSARS protest but chickened out and cancelled it at the last minute.
Naira Marley then backtracked to condemn the agitation for the scrapping of SARS, describing those calling for its end as robbers.
Amnesty International has recorded about 82 reported cases of SARS brutality from 2017 to 2020.
