President Muhammadu Buhari has slammed some Nigerians for taking his swift response to disband of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force as a weakness.
He stated this during a live broadcast on Thursday evening following protests that has rocked the nation.
Addressing Nigerians on Thursday, Buhari said, “As a democratic government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth.
“On approving the termination of SARS, I already made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of extensive Police reforms.
“Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for their selfish unpatriotic interests.
“The result of this is clear to all observers: human lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised; the sanctity of the Palace of a Peace Maker, the Oba of Lagos has been violated. So-called protesters have invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans of fellow Nigerians and our visitors.”
SUNRISE.NG reports that Nigerians for the past two weeks had taken to the streets in major cities of Nigeria to protest against Police brutality.
Following the protest, the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, scrapped the SARS unit.
But it was not enough to take Nigerian youths out of the street, as they called for the prosecution of erring SARS officers.
The continued protest gave hoodlums as the opportunity to infiltrate the protest and attack government institutions.
This led to the declaration of curfew in Edo, Lagos, Rivers amongst other states.