Social media outrage on the activities of the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad popularly known as F-SARS has rocked the nation with respected individuals Like the vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Former VP Atiku Abubakar and others including top Nigerian Celebrities having to come out to lend their voices condemning the activities of F-SARS operatives.
The F-SARS operatives have been known to harass mostly young Nigerians and tagging them ‘Yahoo boy’ a term used to address internet fraudsters.
SARS was created in 1992 and was made up of 15 policemen to tackle the high spate of criminal activities in Lagos State. But what has changed from SARS been a tactical squad meant to tackle criminal activities like armed robberies,kidnappings to the harassment, maiming and killing of young Nigerians?
The answer to that question might be tagged to Failure in Leadership and the inability of the police to enhance internal mechanisms to checkmate the activities of the F-SARS operatives.
Another ban was issued on Sunday 4th of October 2020 by the Police P.R.O Frank Mba announcing the ban of F-SARS operatives on the road making it a total of 4 bans issued on a unit in the police force. The question to be asked will this address the issues, will statements after statements by the police address the issues?
The same order on the ban of SARS was given out in 2017, 2018, 2019 but no difference instead the F-SARS operatives have continued to carry out their activities with reckless abandon and have become more brutal and deadly than they were before. When the ban was announced i began to ask myself after all the agitations simmer down will they be back on the street as they did in 2017, 2018, 2019? No one can tell.
Reform is needed in SARS not total ban of SARS starting from the recruitment process of the operatives, regular mental assessment of the operatives, enforcing the rules of engagement of the SARS operatives etc also. The government must do something than coming out to give statements and we must continue speak out and our voice must not go down.
