Amnesty International has called
on Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo to intervene in the alleged brutalization of
Nigerians by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)
Reports emerged over the weekend
that men alleged to be SARS officials shot dead a man identified as Kolade
Johnson.
Speaking on the development,
Amnesty International in a statement on its Twitter verified page said SARS
intended to protect Nigerians has become a danger to the society.
According to them, restructuring
of SARS is not enough, adding that reforms ordered by ‘Prof Osinbajo in August
last year have been ineffective.’
The statement reads: “Once again
SARS is in the news for alleged brutalization of Nigerians. We have several
times called for EndSARS.SARS is a police unit created to protect the people,
instead, it has become a danger to society, torturing its victims with complete
impunity while fomenting a toxic climate of fear and corruption.
“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. 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.
“Because of corruption SARS
officers believe they have carte blanche to torture Nigerians. This is hardly
surprising when many of these officers have bribed their way to SARS in the
first place. The police chiefs in charge are themselves entwined in the
corruption.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“Victims of SARS told Amnesty
International that they had been subjected to horrific torture methods,
including hanging, starvation, beatings, shootings and mock executions. SARS
officers are notoriously corrupt and brutal.
“Amnesty International found that
in some cases where victims of police corruption and brutality attempted to
seek justice, the police authorities took no action.
“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. “
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