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General News of Friday, 16 October 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

SWAT Team will be more dangerous than SARS - Yoruba Community Ghana

President of the Greater Accra Yoruba Community in Ghana, Amb. Oloye O. Fatuyi FIIM play videoPresident of the Greater Accra Yoruba Community in Ghana, Amb. Oloye O. Fatuyi FIIM

The President of the Greater Accra Yoruba Community in Ghana, Amb. Oloye O. Fatuyi FIIM has waded into the ongoing #EndSARS protest that has cut across every nook and cranny of the country.

Following the announcement by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 that the special unit has been dissolved and changed into Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, protests have spread far and wide, this time, in a more aggressive fashion.

Speaking in a no-hold-barred-interview to our correspondent in Ghana’s capital, Accra, Amb Fatuyi said the leadership of the police force are ignorant of some of the pertinent issues plaguing the country. According to him, the name change only shows the misplaced priorities of the current administration.

He further questioned the rationale behind introducing a SWAT team that seems more better equipped and dangerous than the now-defunct SARS.

“Our security chiefs don't know what it takes to be in charge of the security of a country. Probably, our chief of the police is showing or displaying his misplaced priority or cluelessness because, at this time when people are agitating, you are changing SARS to SWAT,” he said angrily.

“Do they know the meaning of SWAT? Do they have a full understanding of the Special Weapon Tactics team? Do they understand?” he quizzed. “That means that you are going to equip them with more sophisticated weapons to kill people!”

Following the change, he suggested that the police force will need more than rebranding to perform its duties to full capacity. He opined that personnel of the force will require intense training and ultimately the state will have to change the powers of the police.

“The problem we have in Nigeria is not rebranding the police force, we just have to change the training, we just have to change the constitution that empowers police to do what so ever they are doing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has stated that 10 protesters have tragically lost their lives since the mass protests broke across major cities in the country.

The human rights group says police have been using excessive force against unarmed protesters since the new round of protests against police brutality began on Thursday, October 8, 2020.

"So far, Nigerian Police have killed at least 10 people since the start of protests against callous operations of SARS," Amnesty International told CNN.

SARS is an acronym for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the notorious police unit that has often been accused of extra-judicial killings and human rights abuses.