By Etse Kassim, Abuja
Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President has thrown his weight behind the ongoing campaign against the brutality of men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police.
Atiku in a string of tweets on his twitter handle (@atiku) on Sunday, called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the National Assembly to immediately come up with modalities to put an end to the appalling right abuses perpetrated by SARS in order not to incur the wrath of the youths.
He said: “I commend our young people for protesting these injustices peacefully online, and encourage the IG of @PoliceNG to take these complaints seriously.
“I also urge the National Assembly to look into these complaints, and address the human rights issues. Reforms are urgently needed.
“The arbitrary harassment of young Nigerians by Police (who should be protecting them) has no place in a democratic society.
“The #EndSARS protest shows Nigerian youth are upset and the matter needs urgent attention.”
It will be recalled that the #EndSARS protest which seeks to compel Federal Government to act on the excesses and appaling right abuses by men of SARS has been trending on social media since two days ago.
Many Nigerians recounted their ordeals in the hands of SARS and demand for the scrapping of the unit, with many accusing the special police unit of extra-judicial killings, wanton arrests and dispossession of properties through physical assault and other cruel methods.