#ENDSARS: Senate probes human rights abuses by FSARS

The Senate, on Wednesday, resolved to launch a thorough investigation into the excesses of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS).

The Red Chamber, accordingly, directed its committees on Police and Judiciary as well as Human Rights and Legal Matter to probe the series of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings by the FSARS operatives and other security agencies and make recommendations.

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It also directed the police authorities and other security agencies to establish a special bureau to monitor the conduct of the operatives and arrest and prosecute the erring ones.

The resolutions followed a motion by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos), who expressed concern over the brutal attacks of Nigerian youths by FSARS.

She said human rights abuses, including extortion and wanton killings of innocent Nigerians by FSARS have continued unabated.

She lamented that these excesses of the operatives had festered despite the various reforms by the Police authorities.

She said Nigerian youth can no longer walk freely across the country for the fear of being harassed by FSARS, who, she alleged, extort young Nigerians for simply dressing well, drive good cars and carry expensive phones.

Senators, in their various contributions, said officers of the tactical squad had abandoned their core mandate and become extortionists, calling their conduct a national disgrace.

The Red Chamber, therefore, urged the various security agencies to establish a special hotlines to enable Nigerians report activities of their agents.

It also mandated its committee on Police Affairs to convene a stakeholders meeting to investigate the implementation of the Nigerian Police Trust Fund Act 2019.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, cautioned against scrapping the FSARS but said those who have committed excesses should be arrested and prosecuted.

He said it is not enough to suspend FSARS because of the excesses of some officers.

He noted that there were good and well behaved officers among them, noting that “if you scrap it, you will lose those who are doing well.”

Lawan asked the committees to find out what had happened to the officers who have killed innocent Nigerians recently and in the past.

Many Nigerians have called for ban of the tactical unit of the country’s police force following numerous complaints against it.

Personnel of FSARS are being accused of human rights abuse, extortion and killing but the police authorities have maintained that they would not ban the unit.

Rather, the Police had restricted the FSARS’s operations in the country as a move to limit its excesses.