#EndSARS not the end: Ex-SARS personnel need reorientation

With the level of atrocities - unlawful arrests, torture and murder, allegedly perpetrated by officers of the recently disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the Inspector General of Police must ensure that are put through a mandatory period of reorientation before their planned redeployment.

It would be naive of anyone to imagine that these erring police officers would develop a change of heart overnight, in dealing with members of the public. While the bulk of them would go unpunished for the crimes they have been accused of committing, for lack of justiciable evidence, a period of inactive service and deradicalization is necessary so as to prevent or minimize the likelihood of some of them taking out their frustrations on innocent members of the public.

For years, errant members of the police force have been having a field day terrorizing the very people they are commissioned to protect; SARS only took this to a different level. Abduction and extortion became the norm, with increasing cases of broad daylight, cold-blooded murder. In an almost complete dereliction of their tasked responsibility, which was to combat armed banditry and all such related crimes, they preyed on hapless citizens, accusing any hip-looking, tech gadget-carrying Nigerian youth of internet fraud (Yahoo-yahoo).

All those castigating our youths who engage in fraud for being responsible for the crimes of the SARS officers have totally missed the point.

First of all, officers of the law should never be excused for using their right to bear arms to terrorize unarmed members of the public. Also, the Nigerian Police have several units that are trained in the investigation and prosecution of fraudsters. SARS only capitalized on the desperation of the Yahoo-boys to use their fraudulently acquired wealth to keep themselves out of trouble. If a police man can shoot a bus driver because of N50, then it is a no-brainer that they casually threaten and kill young boys over possible millions of naira.

Such officers are worse than the Yahoo boys and even the armed robbers and kidnappers that the government pays them to go after. It is therefore necessary that they should be warranted to go through a period of reorientation, which must include psychological tests, and not be immediately released to engage with the public. We must admit to ourselves that though the action of the IGP in the dissolution of SARS was long overdue, what has been done is that their regular avenue for enriching themselves has been blocked. It would take a while for them to come to terms with the reality and some of them might resort to more dastardly measures in the process.

It is bad enough that the illicit funds these policemen have extorted from members of the public would not be recovered; worse still that all those who have lost their loved ones due to the heartlessness of some of these SARS men cannot get justice. At least let the police hierarchy must ensure that more harm is not done by immediately instituting reforms and curbing acts of brutality and extortion by its officers, so that gradually, the Nigerian youth and the general public can regain the trust for men of the police force.

Our system needs total overhauling, not just the police force, but the entire Nigerian institution...
Our major problem is greed (getting Rich quick syndrome) without passing through the process...
There's always light at the end of the tunnel...

Nice write up.