Nigeria’s police chief has announced the dissolution of a notorious anti-robbery unit following days of widespread protests against police brutality.
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has long been accused of harassment, unlawful arrests, torture and even murders. Thousands of people marched across the country this week to demand it be disbanded, while #EndSARS trended online in Nigeria for several days.
In a statement on Sunday, Muhammed Adamu, inspector general of police, said the unit had been abolished “with immediate effect”, a move that was “in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian people”. He added, however, that all SARS officers would be redeployed to other police commands, formations and units.
#IGPDissolvesSARS pic.twitter.com/A1TvvefbOu
— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) October 11, 2020
Adamu also said the Nigerian police force would work with human rights groups and civil society organisations to investigate cases of alleged human rights violations.