International Human rights organisation Amnesty International has lauded the directive by Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the total overhaul of the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is currently in acting capacity as the President of Nigeria gave the directive on Tuesday after prolonged public outcry against the rogue police unit.
Amnesty International made it position known on the presidential directive through a statement by its Director in Nigeria Osai Ojigho.
Read: #Endsars- Shut Down SARS now- Osibanjo orders
The statement which was issued by Amnesty International through its Media Manager, Isa Sanusi on Tuesday said the directive was proof that the growing outcry over the brutality of SARS had finally caught the attention of the country’s authorities.
While AI noted that the move was a step in the right direction, it however reiterated that the reform of the rougue unit must be robust and all encompassing if it must achieve the desired effect.
Excerpts from the statement reads,
“This is an overdue yet hugely important move by Acting President Osinbajo. The growing outcry over the brutality of Nigeria’s notorious SARS police unit has finally got the attention of the country’s authorities. While this is positive news, it is crucial that any overhaul of SARS is far-reaching and immediately effective. Restructuring SARS is not enough unless the government takes concrete steps to protect Nigerians,” the statement read
Amnesty International further reiterated that the reforms ordered by the Acting President must translate into ending the torture, unlawful detention, extortion, extrajudicial killings as well as other serious human rights violations known to have been carried out by SARS.
“The reform ordered by the Acting President must translate into ending the torture, unlawful detention, extortion, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations that SARS officers have been committing for years across Nigeria. That includes bringing to justice SARS officers found to have committed atrocities.
“There is much compelling public evidence of human rights violations committed by SARS, some of it directly documented by Amnesty International, and this should now be used to aid an effective investigation into the unit’s crimes”.
The statement concludes with AI requesting that the special panel convened to investigate the rougue police unit must be independent and impartial.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, announced the changes in a statement on Tuesday, hours after Acting President Yemi Osinbajo ordered the immediate overhaul of the rougue unit.
As part of the overhaul, SARS has now been renamed Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), with a new commissioner of police appointed to head the unit.