Six years after the EndSARS protests forced police brutality into the national spotlight, Nigeria’s policing system remains burdened by allegations of unlawful arrests, torture, extortion and excessive use of force.
Despite a new Police Act, revised regulations and fresh training initiatives, the reforms have yet to bring about the fundamental change in police-citizen relations demanded by protesters in October 2020.
The protests were driven largely by demands to end abuses associated with the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), including allegations of arbitrary arrests, extortion, torture and extrajudicial killings. The protests eventually evolved into a broader demand for police accountability and better governance.
Despite the Federal Government disbanded SARS and announced a series of measures aimed at reforming policing.
Six years later, The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has accused the Nigerian police of sustaining a culture of impunity six years after the #EndSARS protests.
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