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Reps Call For Investigation Into Alleged Killing Of Footballer By SARS
The House of Representatives has mandated its police affairs, justice and human rights committees to investigate and ensure that “justice is not only done but seen to be done.”, over the recent action by some police officers that resulted in the death of a Remo Stars FC footballer, Tiyamiyu Kazeem.
The lawmakers also urged the Inspector General of Police to review the objectives behind the establishment of the tactical squads and restrict their interference with civil and financial crimes, adding that the force needs to establish a Special Bureau Unit that will monitor the conducts of police officers, arrests and charges on erring ones.
Moving the motion on Thursday, Adewunmi Onanuga (PDP, Ogun), berated the indiscriminate arrest, illegal detention, torture and extortion of citizens by operatives of SARS and ZIS, noting that this prolonged negligence of the brutality by the two security agencies especially the slain footballer, may result in a crisis between the police and the citizens.
Ekohotblog recalls that last month, police officers from the ZIS unit in Abeokuta reportedly killed Mr Kazeem, after which the state police commissioner ordered the arrest of the yet-to-be-identified officers.
The incident triggered a protest in Sagamu as residents took to the streets to express their anger, leaving at least one dead.
The inspector-general of police has since disbanded the Zonal Intervention Squad in Ogun, handing their offices over to the state police command.
Meanwhile, citizens have for long amplified on social media the #ENDSARS campaign over a series human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings reportedly orchestrated by the unit.
This call made the president to set up a panel headed by the executive secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Anthony Ojukwu, to investigate and submit reports on the allegations of misconduct against SARS.
Afterward, the inspector-general of police in a statement claimed SARS has been reformed, itemizing six new terms and conditions of the operations of the squad.
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