Nigeria Dissolves Special Police Unit After Widespread Protests

Protesters gather against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos [Wikipedia]

After a week of widespread protests, the Nigerian government disbanded the country’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on October 11. 

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad is a branch of the Nigerian Police Force with jurisdiction over crimes such as armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and firearm mishandlings. For at least four years, allegations made against SARS have included incidents of extrajudicial killings, torture, extortion, and harassment.

Protests against SARS began after a video of the unit allegedly killing a man in the street went viral on October 4. Protesters took both to the physical streets of various Nigerian cities and to the virtual protests under the hashtag #endSARS. 

Public frustration towards the SARS unit is not new. Prior to this recent outcry, similar protests emerged in 2018 as allegations of abuse were waged against the unit. As a result, then-Nigerian President Yemi Osinbajo called for an immediate overhaul of the police unit. While restructuring supposedly occurred, the comportment of the unit did not see obvious change.

The extent of the SARS-related violence attracted international attention, including several reports from Amnesty International. In 2016, Amnesty released a report on the malpractice, stating, “A police unit created to protect the people has instead become a danger to society, torturing its victims with complete impunity while fomenting a toxic climate of fear and corruption.”

Following the call to restructure SARS in 2018, Amnesty released a follow-up report, warning, “While this is positive news, it is crucial that any overhaul of SARS is far-reaching and immediately effective. Restructuring SARS is not enough unless the government takes concrete steps to protect Nigerians.”

Multiple attempts since then have failed to bring systematic change and end the wrongdoings of SARS.

On October 4—shortly after the release of a viral video depicting police brutality from the SARS unit—Nigeria’s Inspector General Mohammed Adamu not only banned the unit from carrying out stop-and-search duties, but also required them to wear special uniforms. Ensuing protests demanded the disbandment of SARS. 

Facing popular pressure, the government dissolved SARS on October 11.

However, protestors are still not satisfied with the government’s directive, which plans to redeploy SARS members to other units rather than disciplining them. In protests erupting since October 11, at least two civilians were killed as the police employed live ammunition.

In a response to the dissatisfaction, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in a video address that the disbanding of SARS is “only the first step in commitment to extensive policy reform in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protections of lives and livelihoods of our people.” He continued, “We will also ensure that all those responsible for misconduct or violent acts are brought to justice.”