Written by Yenika
TW: Death, Torture, Police Brutality
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad, also known as SARS, was founded in 1992 as a police unit to combat violent crimes like armed robbery. However, in recent years it has become known as a heavily corrupt force responsible for unlawfully killing, torturing, and extorting the people of Nigeria.
The #EndSARS movement began in 2017 and protests erupted in October 2020 after a man was allegedly shot dead by SARS in the town of Ughelli. Peaceful protests were met with violent suppression, with police forces both killing and arresting protesters. Along with this, SARS is known for accusing innocent civilians of crimes such as theft and detaining them as a result, putting them into horrible living conditions.
Amnesty International reported at least 82 cases of ill treatment, torture, and extrajudicial executions by SARS officers in between January 2017 and May 2020. The officers responsible for these acts of human violation have notoriously not been held accountable for it.
In October 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari agreed to disband SARS. However, this was not the first time the Nigerian government promised to disband SARS and previous calls to reform have led to little action and no actual change.
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