Police Impunity: A More Violent Protest Brewing, Warns EndSARS Activists, Segun Awosanya

Femi Ashekun/

Human rights activist and EndSARS convener, Segun Awosanya, has advised police authorities to take urgent steps to address the growing cases of impunity against innocent citizens by their men in order to prevent a repeat of the 2020 EndSARS protest.

The EndSARS protest, which began as pockets of resistance to police brutality, especially by members of the disbanded elite Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), later grew into a nationwide month-long organised protest, which totally paralysed economic activities.

The protest later took a violent turn, which threatened to destabilise the entire country after it was hijacked by hoodlums, following the shooting and killing of several innocent protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos by Nigerian soldiers.

The resultant violence led to killing of several police officers and destruction of both public and private property across the country.

Tweeting this morning, via @segalink, Awosanya called the attention of the police to the activities of some officers, tagged SWAT team, from the Adeniji Police Station in Lagos, who daily take innocent citizens hostage on the Ikoyi Link Bridge and only release them after collecting ransom.

His tweets read, “It would interest the @PoliceNG (Nigeria Police Force) & @PoliceNG_CRU (Complaints Response Unit of the Police) that rogue officers from Adeniji Police Station are still taking hostages at the Ikoyi link bridge & demanding ransom on the daily. As often warned, another unrest is brewing & if triggered in Lagos, the country may not recover.

“I humbly implore the PPRO at the FHQ @Princemoye1 (Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi) to take urgent action against the rogue unit keeping the culture of impunity alive. We have been monitoring them and believe the misfits need to be purged from the system. There is time now to course correct before it is too late.

“They call themselves SWAT team and their leader believe religiously that their terms of reference and standard operating procedure include threatening unarmed citizens with guns and abducting them for extortion was the reason they were set up. End this now before it ends us all.

“Some of us may be diplomatic & logical in our approach to Advocacy but be mindful of those seeking vulnerabilities like this to exploit at the expense of national security & peace. This would be on the Police & not the citizenry should another crisis break out.

“Our responsibility as an organization at Social Intervention Advocacy Foundation @SIAF_NG is not to replace the internal mechanism of checking police officers but bridge the gap between them and the people, which we have surgically implemented over the years since 2017 till date with bills/laws facilitated.

“The public grew from calling us to trusting the system enough to call @PoliceNG_CRU and at this point we must gradually allow you do your job unless there is need for intervention. We are about strengthening institutions & not replacing them. Make a believer of the people.

“Pay attention to the petitions in the replies to this thread for other areas across Nigeria where Police officers are still taking laws into their own hands by extorting and abusing the rights of the people unprovoked. We highlighted Ikoyi link bridge because of the prevalence.”

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