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General News of Tuesday, 13 April 2021

Source: www.pulse.ng

Canada rejects ex-SARS officer for crimes against humanity in Nigeria

Some END SARS protesters Some END SARS protesters

A former member of the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force has been denied asylum request in Canada for crimes against humanity. Olushola Wazzi Popoola was a member of the notorious unit between 2002 and 2005 in Abuja, and 2009 and 2011 in Lagos when he resigned following his father's death.

He travelled to the United States in 2016 before he crossed over to Canada where he claimed refugee status.

The Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board eventually determined him to be inadmissible to Canada after reviewing documentary evidence that SARS committed crimes against humanity from 2002 to 2015.

Popoola contested the division's decision in court, but Canada's Federal Court in Ottawa, Ontario has now ruled against the former law enforcement officer in a judgement delivered on April 8, 2021.

Justice Sébastien Grammond ruled that it was not important that Popoola didn't directly participate in atrocities documented against SARS, but that he was guilty by association.

"The IDs reasons for preferring the documentary evidence to certain aspects of Mr. Popoola's testimony were adequate," the court ruled.

SARS was dissolved last October following historic nationwide protests against incessant police brutality.

Officers of the tactical unit were notorious for numerous acts of abuse including harassment, extortion, torture, and extra-judicial murder.