Screenshot: YOUTUBE/DW News
Screenshot: YOUTUBE/DW News

Nigeria’s police chief has ordered the unconditional release of all anti-police brutality demonstrators arrested during protests against police brutality.

This was a key demand of protesters who have rallied against the hated Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in major cities for seven days. According to multiple news outlets, 10 protesters were killed during the rallies.

Rallies have continued despite President Muhammadu Buhari announcing on Sunday the disbandment of SARS.

Shola Lawal and 

“The Special Anti-Robbery Squad was created in 1992 and charged with tackling the problem of violent crime in Lagos. It operated as a faceless, 15-member team that traveled in two unmarked buses, its officers often wearing neither uniforms nor name tags.

The anonymity was considered vital for taking on the gangs that openly terrorized Lagos at the time. But as the police unit grew, establishing itself throughout the country, its faceless nature opened the door to abuse, making it difficult to identify and report rogue officers and emboldening them to act with impunity, critics say.

The SARS unit has been accused of targeting young people who appear well-dressed, shaking them down for money, and torturing and abusing and even killing those who resist. Amnesty International says it documented more than 82 cases of abuse and extrajudicial killings by SARS officers from January 2017 to this May.

President Buhari’s words have been met with skepticism by protest leaders. Major Black entertainers including Nigerian music stars Davido and Falz, American rap superstar Kanye West, R&B singer Trey Songz and Afro-British actor Jon Boyega have offered support for the anti-police brutality protesters on social media using the #EndSARS hashtag. 

Protests were also held in the commercial hub, Lagos, the country’s capital, Abuja, and four other cities.

Read more at BBC or New York Times.

Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Twitter @TheBurtonWire.

Previous articleMeet the Makers: ‘History of White People’ Creators Speak 7 p.m. EST (ZOOM)
Next articleAfroComicCon Goes Virtual Saturday, October 24
TheBurtonWire.com is the premiere online destination for people who think for themselves. This blog offers news from the African Diaspora, culture that is produced by often overlooked populations and opinion that is informed and based on fact. Tired of the onslaught of websites and talking heads that regurgitate what people want to hear, TheBurtonWire.com is a publication that elevates news and perspectives that people need to hear. TheBurtonWire.com is for individual thinkers who understand that they are part of a larger collective. What is this collective? Free thinking people that care about the world, who will not be categorized or boxed in by society or culture and are interested in issues and topics that defy stereotypes and conventional wisdom.