No need to continue #EndSARS protests, Senate President tells protesters

The Senate President says protesters should be satisfied with government efforts.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, says there's no reason why ongoing protests against police brutality should continue because the government has responded responsibly. Nigerians have campaigned for years to have the Federal Special Ant-Robbery Squad (FSARS) of the Nigeria Police Force scrapped after numerous well-documented incidents of abuse including harassment, extortion, torture, and extra-judicial murder.

The latest outrage that sparked over the past week led to widespread protests across many states in the country, the most publicly-charged demonstrations against the unit.

With protests blowing up all over the country and globally, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced on Sunday, October 11, 2020 that SARS had been dissolved across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

However, protests already scheduled for this week have gone ahead with more planned as protesters are pressing for more comprehensive police reform.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, says the menace of SARS is now history as the unit has been dissolved [Twitter/@OvieOmoAgege]
Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, October 13, Lawan said the official dissolution of SARS should be enough for protesters to return home.

"The protest has yielded the desired result so far and there won't be need to continue the protest again when SARS has been disbanded and those culprits who are involved in the killings should be brought to book," he said.

The Senate President said the conduct of SARS was not acceptable as the essence of the police force is to ensure law and order.

Protests have especially turned bloody over the past few days as police officers have used force or opened fire on protesters, with deaths recorded in Lagos and Oyo over the past few days.

Many protesters have also been arrested and assaulted by police officers for participating in the protests.

Senator Rochas Okorocha said at Tuesday's plenary that people have a right to peaceful protests and appealed that everyone arrested at protests should be freed.