The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has clarified that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which was disbanded on the 11th of October 2020, remained dissolved.
Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, made the clarification in a statement on Monday to debunk the rumor that SARS is back with a reformed set of rules.
ACP Adejobi said that “the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is not back in operation. The recent information regarding SARS reformation and rules of engagement should be treated with caution. Nigerians are encouraged to verify the source of any information before accepting it as true.”
To ensure receiving accurate and reliable updates, he advised Nigerians to follow the official handles of the Nigeria Police Force on social media viz @PoliceNG on X, @ngpolice on Facebook, and @nigeriapoliceforce on Instagram.
It would be recalled that Nigerians hit the streets in October 2020 to protest against police brutality in Nigeria. And called for the for the disbandment of the SARS, a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police known for its long record of abuse against Nigerian citizens.
The protests which originated from a Twitter (X) campaign in 2017, using the hashtag #EndSARS, experienced a resurgence in October 2020, following further revelations of the unit’s abuses, leading to mass demonstrations across major cities in Nigeria, and widespread outrage on social media platforms.
Within a few days of protests, on 11 October 2020, the Nigerian Police Force announced the dissolution of the unit. The move was widely perceived as a triumph for the demonstrators, even when over 150 people were reportedly killed.
