End SARS: EU wants rights violators prosecuted

As the ongoing protests against police brutality and bad governance escalate into more violence across Nigeria, those responsible for violating human rights must be brought to book, the European Union has said.

PREMIUM TIMES has been reporting how the EndSARS demonstrators are taking to the streets to protest against police brutality in Nigeria after a viral video emerged on social media showing a man being beaten allegedly by officers from the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit.

The protests, which began peacefully, have escalated claiming several lives.

But many, including Hilary Clinton, Joe Biden, Rihanna and Beyonce have criticized the current crackdown by security operatives on protesters.

EU Calls for Justice

The EU said in a statement that “it is crucial that those responsible of abuses be brought to justice and held accountable.”

Over 170,000 people have signed a petition for the UK government to implement sanctions against the Nigerian government and officials for violating human rights during the demonstrations.

Protesters have five core demands which include the scrapping of SARS, justice for the families of victims of police brutality, retraining of SARS officers before being redeployed to other police units, and an independent body to oversee investigations into police brutality.

Although the Nigerian government met some of the demands of the protesters, the protests continued.