Hundreds of youths in Kano state on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in support of the newly established Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit to replace the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
They were protesting to support the reformation of the unit as against its disbandment as announced by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
The youths, under the umbrella of Coalition of Kano State Youths matched from the state’s Ministry for Information in Audu Bako Secretariat to the state’s Government House carrying big banners with inscriptions that call on the President and the IGP to reconsider the scrapping of the unit.
The protest according to the leader of the youths, Sunusi Kani was to send message to the Federal Government that the police unit needed reformation rather than ending it.
Responding, the state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje thanked the youths for their insight and promised to forward their demands to President Muhammadu Buhari for further consideration.
He said, “Recently, there has been protest in different parts of the country calling for the scrapping of SARS. But, if we continue to condemn the police, can we exist?
“What the system needs is reformation and not disbandment. This protest is therefore a decision in the right direction,” Ganduje said.
The governor thanked the youths for the peaceful protest and promised to send their resolutions to the president, stressing that the police is necessary for peace to reign.
Daily Trust reports that the protesters have been carrying banners and placards with inscriptions such as “We support SWAT”, “Reform SARS”, “No to end SARS” and “Thanks to IGP for SARS reformation” among others.
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