FRI, 30 OCT, 2020-theGBJournal-The UK Minister for Africa James Duddridge admitted British officials had trained officers of the Nigeria Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), having initially denied any ties, the UK Independent newspaper reports. The report said the SARS training occurred between 2016 and 2020.
The Independent reports that, ‘’in a letter sent to Labour MP Kate Osamor on Thursday, the minister said SARS officers had participated in training designed to improve human rights, training on public finance, and community policing workshops. He also confirmed radio equipment was given to Nigerian Police which was then used by the now disbanded SARS.’’
Ms Osamor told The Independent ‘’it is shocking that in the middle of global protests to #EndSARS our government appears to have no idea whether or not it was funding those very units,’’ adding that ‘’the government now needs to explain how and why it ever felt it was appropriate to train and equip security forces which were known to have taken part in torture and extra-judicial killings.’’
The Inspector General Of Police (IGP) M.A Adamu dissolved the special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) across all the 36 States Commands and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with immediate effect earlier this month and deployed all officers and men serving in the unit to other Police Commands, formations and units following eruption of protests across the country against SARS and Police brutality.
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