A former president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki has said that the #EndSARS and #SARSMustEnd protests shows the need for comprehensive reform of the Nigeria Police.
According to him, moving forward there is need to look to the future and to put in place a decentralised community police departments across the country.
Protests against brutality and extra-judicial killings by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have continued for days now despite the disbanding of the Nigerian Police unit by the Federal Government.
Since the Inspector General of Police announced on Tuesday that SARS had been replaced by Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), the protesters have included #EndSWAT as part of their protests hashtags.
Saraki wrote in a tweet on his Twitter handle, @bukolasaraki on Wednesday, in response to the development:
“The #EndSARS/#SARSMustEnd campaigns championed by Nigeria’s youth have highlighted the need for a comprehensive reform of @PoliceNG – to allow it better serve and protect our people.
*Moving forward, we need to look to the future and begin to push for decentralized community police departments across Nigeria. These departments should become part of our neighbourhoods, known by all residents, and equipped to address the unique security needs of each community.”