Activists for Good Governance, AGG, a civil society group, and its allies have called for suspension of the #EndSARS protest to allow the Federal Government and police authorities carry out the promised reforms.
AGG made the call at a press conference on the #EndSARS protest at the International Press Centre at Ogba on Friday, October 16, 2020.
Co-Convener of AGG, Comrade Gbenga Soloki, said the government has to demonstrate genuine commitment to fulfill the promises made so as to restore the confidence of the people.
Declan Ihekaire, the convener, called on the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu to step down honourably and apologise to Nigerians it took this long to scrap and replace SARS despite series of their activities he had been aware of.
Soloki said. “The sad truth is, trust has been lost! But the Nigerian government has the opportunity to rally the civil society and the organized private sector now to stem the tide and win the trust of the Nigerian people by implementing a comprehensive reform of the Nigerian police.”
AGG stated further if within one week it does not see a genuine demonstration of the commitment, it will not hesitate to call out its members across the nation for a coordinated action against the Federal Government “that will make the on-going rehearsal look like a kindergarten prep”.
While acknowledging the disbanding of SARS by the IG, Soloki said what is required today is complete review and overhaul of the policing system in Nigeria.
He said: “We are of the view that the hasty renaming of SARS as another Special Weapon and Tactics Team, SWAT, is a poorly concieved approach to solving an endemic problem.
“We don’t just want a change in name but a complete reform of the standard operating procedure of the new crime-bursting outfit and indeed the Nigerian police.”
AGG asked government which to put an immediate end to all forms of police brutality, setting up of a judicial commission of inquiry into the operation of the disbanded SARS to bring offenders to book.
Other activists present at the briefing were: Rasak Oladosu of Grassroot Democratic Initiative; Shina Loremikan of Campaign Against Impunity and Raheem Ajayi of The Development Initiative and others.
Source: The Nation
