Nigeria Dissolves A Special Police Squad Following Mass Protests Against Brutality

Following headlining mass protests that saw thousands of Nigerians Protesting police brutality by a special police outfit branded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the President of Nigeria has bowed down to the powerful movement and has announced that the government of Nigeria is disbanding SARS.

The update was posted on Twitter by the official account of the Nigerian President which stated that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive to dissolve the special anti-robbery squad in a tweet that said:

PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE: The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force @PoliceNG has been dissolved WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. The Inspector General of Police will communicate further developments in this regard.

All officers and men of the now defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) are to be redeployed with immediate effect. A new policing arrangement to address anticipated policing gaps the dissolution of SARS will cause is being worked on and will be announced by @PoliceNG

According to CNN, the mass protests were as a result of police brutality that had been going on for some time:

The nationwide protests were a culmination of weeks of anger and outcry online by the country’s young people over claims of kidnapping, harassment and extortion by a police unit known as the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

Nigerian superstars like Burnaboy who over the weekend became many a Zimbabweans’ favorite, sensational duo P squared, and Davido and many other stars were also part of the protests.

Meanwhile, Zimbabweans back home, particularly Zimbabweans on Twitter (Twimbos) refused to vote for Zimbabwean musician Jah Prayzah in the AEAUSA as they said they will vote for Burna Boy who showed solidarity with Zimbabweans during the days of the Zimbabwean Lives matter social media movement.

More: Nigerian Presidency Twitter