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#EndSARS objective has deeper meanings than the surface interpretation. We are saying sanitize the elite squads and put the right sustainable operational procedures in place to make them function as designed & not as a tool of oppression, abduction, torture and extortion.
The term reform has no meaning within the security structures across institutions without first repealing and replacing the acts that set such institution up. This foundational element is key because our Police Act Of 1943 predates Human Rights proclamation.
So everything built on that faulty foundation that is a relic cum vestige of military interregnum will not benefit society in the 21st century and we may have to build afresh beginning with a new law. This has been an ongoing conversation that the arms of Govt are aware of.
The Judiciary played their role by ensuring the Administration Of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 was implemented across the 36 states and FCT upon our engagement. This will be felt more when the New PoliceAct becomes law. With this alone the culture of impunity will be stifled.
SARS, SACS and SAKS and other mushroom units created for oppression like SOS, TaskForce etc must be shutdown to pave way for more intelligence driven elite squad that will only respond to distress calls bothering on their purpose/core competence.
We have simulated this for a year from 2017 until the new IGP turned back the hands of time with his order returning the elite squad to status quo under commissioners Of police that can hardly handle normal police daily craze. This however empowered impunity of SACS.
The current structure is not sustainable and must be overhauled for better with psychological evaluation for officers that are wielding weapons. The new act will also open the police up for collaborations and external scrutiny. We can invest in rubber bullets & tasers.
We can implore other sectors to add police funding to their corporate social responsibility. The minimum standard of our police stations should be the designs of Microfinance banks and their housing can also be upgraded to 1004 standard at the minimum. We can do it.
So the end goal is the Reformation of the entire police structure. This is key. Note that members of the elite squads are stulll police officers. They will have special duties allotted to them based on their training, capacity and discipline once certified drug free and sane.
So #EndSARS #ReformPoliceNG is not a conjecture but a complex policy made simple for the understanding & ownership of all. The police are Happy with it because they know better. It means they now have a voice to correct institutional gaps. We’ve never failed them.
We are not reforming SARS/SACS/SAKS the program has outlived its purpose. It was designed under the military interregnum and it does not regard human rights nor congruent with our laws as it reflect modern day society. It will be scrapped and a better program will be launched.
There shouldn’t be any sentimental attachment to the familiar when we ought to be innovative, conscientious and value humanities. The painful part of this is that we have presented the impact assessment to the authorities before the bill was prioritized. They know we are right.
The question however is how many lives of our youth will have to be sacrificed before the needful is done? We have not stopped for a day since we started the research in 2016 and campaign/advocacy in 2017 with @SIAF_NG. Even the officers want better life & innovative engagement.
In layman’s terms ReformSARS/SACS/SAKS is like adding two extra floors to a burnt bungalow without doing anything to the foundation. Or engaging the services of a Nigerian event planner with an innovative plan. They’ll do what they’ve always done at an extra cost for your stress.
What am I saying? I’m saying that in a country when the IGP Of Police once claimed to have reformed sars because they added a jacket to their clothing with a face cap. One must be wary of the bandied terms which changes nothing but move furniture around.
I’m speaking from years of experience and understanding of the situation. It cost the lives of innocent souls every time our advice is not taken. Still we ask...how many more lives will have to be lost before we listen and do the needful? 🤔
You will be surprised to note that we actually reached a consensus with the police hierarchy before the Presidential order was given having taken them through the implication should the current trend persists, same way we did with leaders of NASS. The truth emancipates.
The Presidential order in my opinion was a political statement as noted backed then. If there is a deeper understanding by the Presidency they know who they would have directed the order to. You can’t make police a judge in their own case. They can’t reform themselves.
One would have thought that a Professor of Law will know this better. The Presidency should be championing this as their legacy. The Homeland security ought to have led the reform but regime security will not allow transparency & accountability to make the police open for service
The Police MUST first fight the corruption within itself before it can conquer the ones outside it. To do this a systemic purge is necessary not a cosmetic update or patch. It begins with the legislation and review of dead units & protocols that are inimical to our democracy.
This is the very same reason Cancerous nodes are severed to avoid metastasis. You don’t try to treat it lest you spread it & kill the patient. The Nigeria Police will die a miserable death if we keep pretending a mere facade uplift will fix a systemic problem.
The Day Nigerians revolt against the police nationally will be the end of law enforcement in Nigeria and subsequently the end of the insensitive, irresponsible and unconscionable admin careless enough to let that happen under them.
