The Nigerian Police has announced the disbandment of the infamous subunit of the force, the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS).
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, made the announcement on Sunday in a live broadcast, days after widespread protests demanding a scrapping of the unit over allegations of brutality and human rights violations.
“The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian Police, otherwise known as SARS, is hereby dissolved across all formations, the 36 state police command and the Federal Capital Territory where they currently exists,” the IGP said.
This is coming shortly after a violent attack was unleashed on peaceful protesters by the police, near the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The unit was founded in 1992 to combat cases of armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes. But SARS, instead, over time, has gained notoriety for its reckless intimidation of innocent civilians through puerile profiling and wanton abuse of power.
