Replacing SARS with SWAT a farce – ActionAid

The Social Mobilisation Manager, ActionAid Nigeria, Adewale Adeduntan has described the establishmeng of the

Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWATT) squad to replace the widely-loathed SARS unit abolished as a result of the anti-police brutality #EndSARS protests is a farce.

In a interview yesterday in Abuja, Adewale said the first confidence building measure would have been to publicly prosecute erring SARS officers whose cases had been swept under the carpet.

According to him, this would have signified an end to the era of impunity. There are still reports of police officers harassing Nigerians till this moment.

He said the Police obviously needs a reform Officers torture innocent detainees, and act so unprofessionally in ways alien to civility adding that Nigeria needs to end police brutality; not creating another unit that will  unnecessarily harass Nigerians.

“We need to completely obliterate rascality and indecency from the force. This SWAT squad will be operationalised by the same corrupt officers of the dissolved SARS unit, this is very unfair and it is the height of insensitivity.

“They are to re-grouping the same unprofessional trigger-happy officers, give them a new name, weapons and unleash them on defenseless Nigerians.

“That should not be! Modern day policing is more about civility and intelligence gathering, not brutality. It is a huge disservice to the nation using life bullets on unarmed protesters who are largely tax payers.

“It indicates lack of tact and requisite exposure. We have on a platter of gold the opportunity to reform Nigeria Police now,” he said.

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