President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the outcry on the reform of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) promising to extensively reform the Force.
The President declared that the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is the first step to extensive police reforms by his administration.
He disclosed this while delivering a speech at the launch of the presidential youth empowerment scheme at the State House in Abuja.
“I will like to use this opportunity to say a word on the recent genuine concerns and agitations by Nigerians about the excessive use of force and in some cases extra-judicial killings and wrongful conduct of the men of the Nigerian Police Force.
“The disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reforms in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection of lives and livelihood of our people,” President Buhari said.
He also promised to ensure that all those who are responsible for the misconduct or wrongful acts are brought to justice.
The President’s reaction is coming hours after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) announced the dissolving of SARS operations. The IGP made the announcement on Sunday following protests across the country protesting police brutality and harassment of youths by the SARS operatives.
The protests, however, continued across the nation on Monday with the campaigners demanding the immediate release of all arrested protesters; justice for deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensation for their families; setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct among others.