Following the demise of a young man, Kolade Johnson, who was purportedly shot dead by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the Amnesty International has asked the Federal government to make important strides in checking awful torment perpetrated on Nigerians by the Dreaded men of this unit.
Despite years of numerous petitions from Nigerian and international human rights organizations to the police authorities, there is no indication that any SARS officers have been punished specifically for torturing detainees or extrajudicial killings. @PoliceNG #EndSARS
— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 1, 2019
In Nigeria @PoliceNG being posted to SARS is often regarded as a “juicy” posting and is preceded by intense lobbying by potential officers. Officers sometimes pay superior officers responsible for transfers as much as N300,000 to influence their posting to SARS. #EndSARS
— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 1, 2019
Reports says Johnson was shot dead in Mangoro/Onipetesi Community on Sunday afternoon by police from the Anri-Cultism Unit (SARS) of Lagos State Command.
Amnesty International found that in some cases where victims of police corruption & brutality attempted to seek justice, the police authorities took no action. @PoliceNG @ProfOsinbajo @PoliceNG_CRU @UN
— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 1, 2019
Amnesty International, in a statement released on its Twitter handle, noticed that SARS which is saddled with the duty of securing lives and property has turned into a risk to the general public.
Police torture is a stain on Nigerian society that must be addressed with clear orders to law enforcement officers not to inflict torture or other ill-treatment on detainees under any circumstances. #EndSARS @MBuhari @PoliceNG @ProfOsinbajo @UN
— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) April 1, 2019
The statement reads:
“Many attempts to reform SARS, including the one ordered by Prof Osinbajo in August last year have been ineffective. Nigerians are still brutalized by SARS. Restructuring SARS is not enough unless the government takes concrete steps to protect Nigerians.
@MBuhari, the buck stops with you.
If govt's primary purpose, as enshrined in S.14(2)(b) CFRN, is not being achieved, nothing else makes sense.
The best way to 'condemn' Kolade's killing is to DO SOMETHING to prevent such from happening ever again.#EndSARS#EndPolicebrutality
— HERmbassador (@BukkyShonibare) April 1, 2019
“Our research since 2016 uncovered a pattern of ruthless human rights violations by SARS, where victims are arrested and tortured until they either make a ‘confession’ or pay officers a bribe to be released.
If you won't speak up because you think #EndSars is an attack on Buhari, you are playing yourself. Because Buhari's children and family will never ever be shot by SARS, and if anything happens to them, they will get the best consultants in the world. You and your family? LOL.
— Dr. Dípò | The Career? (@OgbeniDipo) April 1, 2019
“Apart from brutality, some police officers in SARS regularly demand bribes, steal and extort money from criminal suspects and their families. SARS officers are getting rich through their brutality. In Nigeria, it seems that torture is a lucrative business.
“Apart from demanding bribes, SARS officers have been accused of stealing or confiscating property from relatives of detained suspects. Some family members told Amnesty International that SARS officers stole their cars or withdrew all the money from their bank accounts.
“The majority of the victims of torture in SARS custody are poor and unable to hire legal representatives.
“In some cases when detainees cannot afford to pay bribes, they are simply tortured more.”
Despite repeated calls from Amnesty International in recent years, the Nigerian justice system has failed to prevent or punish torture. Despite Buhari signing into law, the Anti-Torture Bill Police torture Nigerians with impunity.
“In Nigeria Police being posted to SARS is often regarded as a “juicy” posting and is preceded by intense lobbying by potential officers. Officers sometimes pay superior officers responsible for transfers as much as N300,000 to influence their posting to SARS.
“Despite years of numerous petitions from Nigerian and international human rights organizations to the police authorities, there is no indication that any SARS officers have been punished specifically for torturing detainees or extrajudicial killings. “