Nigerians on social media are calling on Nigerian Police authorities to scrap the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, popularly known as SARS.
The call follows several horrific incidents of brutality, abuse and harassment reported against men of the police department by Nigerian citizens.
The Nigerian Police Force Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, PCRRU, had yesterday announced the opening of channels through which the public can report complaints about SARS.
The move by the PCRRU may be connected to the public outcry that has trailed the activities of many SARS officials in recent times.
Punch reports that late in October 2017, a 2015 graduate of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ekwere Imoh, was shot by policemen attached to SARS, Oyo State Police Command. The policemen also shot a female friend of his, identified simply as Doris, who was with him. There were no concrete reasons for shooting the duo as they were neither criminals nor under arrest.
Here are some of the trending #EndSARS tweets:
Thank you all for lending your voice to a worthy cause that guarantees the future of our great country. We have exceeded the expectations of many as we approach 20,000 signatures. #EndSARS #ScrapSARS #ReformPoliceNG #EndBadSARS pic.twitter.com/Gnc1E1uXki
— SEGA L’éveilleur® (@segalink) December 3, 2017
How do the citizens of Nigeria feel safe when the motto of the people that are supposed to save us is “I can kill you and nothing will happen”?#EndSARS
— Josh I (@sire_liljosh) December 3, 2017
SARS I believe was created to run armed robbers out of business.
It’s been a success
They now run the armed robbery business.#EndSARS
— Kshow Da Maestro (@Thekshowkshow) December 3, 2017
This is actually the meaning of SARS ????
S-SPECIAL
A-ARMED
R-ROBBERY
S-SQUAD #endsars— M J A Y VII (@mjay_vii) December 3, 2017
If the government doesn’t do something drastic about this SARS issue, I trust the angry youths to rebel against them physically & lynch them all since peaceful protests don’t go well in this part of the world.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED #EndSARS now!!! ????????????
— 9jaWitches ????♀️???????? (@badgalmaddie_) December 3, 2017
Read tweets by young Nigerians on their encounters with this rogue police division and my heart sank. I had no idea it is like that all over the country. Imagine the number of innocent youths that have been killed, the ones currently in jail now for no reason. #EndSARS
— #BrownConnect (@BrownConnectNG) December 3, 2017
It is obvious they assume they’re above the law and act accordingly – the demand is that the FG should #EndSARS.
— Demola Olarewaju (@DemolaRewaju) December 3, 2017
The difference between SARS and Boko Haram is that: SARS use guns, while Boko Haram uses bombs & guns.
They are all terrorists, SARS are terrorists on government payroll.
This one is shouting: I will kill you throwaway and nothing will happen. #EndSARS #ScrapSARS pic.twitter.com/P6p9YKeMHE
— Osas Cruz (@OsasCruz) December 3, 2017
“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,” From our Sept. 2016 report on SARS #EndSARS
— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) December 3, 2017
There have been over 100,000 #EndSARS tweets. The trend has been on for over 24hrs with horrible stories being told by Nigerians.
We do not yet have a single word from @NGRPresident or the @PoliceNG high command
— Igala_Alan_Shore (@i_am_Anomeli) December 3, 2017
I see this kind of brutal and abusive act by SARS when I was living in Idi-araba, close to LUTH, Lagos between 2009-2014. It’s not new. The federal gov need to revive what protection of the citizens really is #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/OwKvzgwtlP
— Lawal Lateef D. ???? (@Latchenko) December 3, 2017
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