Police Service Commission To Dismiss 37 Ex-SARS Operatives, Prosecute 24 Others

37 former members of the disbanded Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) are set to dismissed from the Force by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

24 other former SARS operatives have also been penciled down for prosecution over various acts of professional misconduct.

This development was confirmed in a statement by the spokesman of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani on Friday.

This follows the submission of a report to the PSC Chairman, Musiliu Smith, in Abuja on Friday by the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu.

The report contained the highlights of the findings by the Presidential Panel on Reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad set up by the Federal Government in 2018.

The presidential panel had, among other things, investigated allegations of human rights violations and abuse of office against SARS and recommended reform or restructuring of the outfit.

The statement titled, ‘PSC to partner Human Rights Commission, promises immediate action on report of presidential panel on reform of SARS’ reads in part: “Ojukwu said at the end of the public hearing, the panel recommended 37 police officers for dismissal and 24 were recommended for prosecution.

“The panel also directed the Inspector -General of Police to unravel the identity of 22 officers involved in the violation of the human rights of innocent citizens.”

Naija News reports that the #EndSARS protests has continued across various cities in Nigeria with the protesters calling for an end to all forms of Police brutality and for the government to reform the force.

Part of their demands is also for the government to prosecute all members of the now-disbanded SARS unit found to have been involved in extortion, killing, and other excesses.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to nominate Lauretta Onochie as an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner.

It will be recalled that following Onchie’s recommendation for appointment as the INEC commissioner representing Delta State, there have been calls for her nomination to be dropped based on the fact that she’s a card-carrying member of the APC.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria’s main opposition party also joined its voice to that of others calling for Onochie’s nomination to be rejected.

However, the APC in a statement on Friday, signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena said the calls by PDP and some others were hypocritical.