A lawmaker representing Oyo state in the House of Representatives, Akin Alabi has filed a motion to “immediately ban” the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police force.
Alabi, who is the house committee chairman on governmental affairs, noted in the proposal that SARS has been in the news as a result of ceaseless killings and attacks on innocent citizens.
The lawmaker said that as opposed to citizens feeling secured owing to duty of the police, to secure lives and properties, the “fear of SARS officers has become the new order of the day.”
He said many Nigerian families have suffered “the brunt of the excesses and abuse from the brazen SARS squad”, adding that public outcry against SARS “must no longer be disregarded or met with tepid responses from the government”.
The Oyo rep also noted that repeated instructions of the inspector-general of police, IGP Mohammed Adamu to SARS officers against ‘stop and search’ operations “have gone unheeded”.
To seek an end to the killings and harassments, Alabi sought a resolution for the house to urge the IGP , to “immediately and completely ban” SARS, while its police affairs committee must ensure compliance.
The motion will reportedly be considered at the house plenary, today, Tuesday October 6, 2020.
