Thread by @TheresaTekenah

#ENDSARS demands and Govt #PoliceReformOngoing

Over the past week, Nigerians came out in numbers without any leader to protest online and offline against police brutality. The demands were genuine and right. #Thread

The Federal Government, led by President Buhari, listened to the demands, he met with Vice president Yemi Osinbajo, police IG, Adamu Mohammed, who later announced the immediate disbandment of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS).

#ENDSARS protesters did not believe the IG and asked that the President speak. In a video on Monday, Buhari spoke on Police Reforms, and the concerns and agitations of Nigerians regarding excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings and wrongful conduct by the Police.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo assured Nigerians that whatever that is replacing the SARs must work within the ambit of the law and comply with international best practices.

The #ENDSARS protesters in response, demanded that the Federal Government meets five demands for them to rest the protest.

Since the protest, the police IG, government has met with stakeholders, intervened, given orders to halt use of force against protesters and unconditional release of arrested citizens.

The presidential panel on the reform of SARS accepted the five-point demand of the #EndSARS protesters.

The police IG also ordered the personnel of the disbanded SARS to report to the force headquarters in Abuja for debriefing, psychological and medical examination.

We must not forget that the police institution has a mandate to protect citizens. The end of SARS does not mean that there would be no unit charged with the mandate to protect against armed robbery and violence.

The new Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team will fill the gaps arising from the dissolution of the defunct SARS. Training at the different Police tactical institutions will begin nationwide, next week. This is a right step.

We have also been told that Prospective members of the new SWAT team will also undergo psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new assignment.

Protesting and calling for #EndSWAT is not the right thing to do at this point. The police force have made a reasonable attempt to change the old ways of doing things. We can't monitor these changes if we are distracted.

The #PoliceReformOngoing cannot happen overnight. Government transactions, reforms and policies, go through a process before they are birthed. The protests have been a huge success. It's time to trust the process. #SARSHasEnded