#ENDSARS: Chief Justice of Nigeria Weighs Into ‘Horrific’ Police Brutality, Extortion

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has weighed in on what he described as “horrific” police brutality and extortion in the country.

CJN Onnoghen’s reaction came amid a longstanding online campaign by citizens to call for the disbandment a unit of the Nigeria Police Force codenamed ‘SARS’ (Special Anti Robbery Squad) over claims of widespread abuses especially directed at youths, who are often times summarily accosted without reason, frisked, and in most cases, arrested or extorted.

Citizens have recounted horrifying encounter with the Special Anti Robbery Squad, whose primary duty as their codename suggests, is mainly to tackle the menace of armed robbery. Nigerians have been using the #ENDSARS hashtag on social media to call on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to address the excesses of this police unit or disband them.

The CJN’s reaction to the citizens’ outcry over the activities of this group, and other sundry human right abuses by security agencies was contained in a statement by his media aide, Mr Awassam Bassey, in which he decried the “frightening proportions” of “horrific incidents of police brutality, inordinate arrest, detention and extortion of innocent Nigerians by officers across the country”.

Mr Bassey said the CJN will direct the Chief Judge of every state of the nation to “put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure compliance with the above provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.”

He further added that the CNJ’s directive will be in a ‘Practice Direction on the Role of Magistrates in Curbing Police Brutality’ issued on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.”

According to the statement, the CJN’s decision was informed by “several complaints of the horrific incidents of police brutality, inordinate arrest, detention and extortion of innocent Nigerians by officers across the country”.

“The Chief Judge of every state of the nation, including the Federal Capital Territory, shall direct Chief Magistrates, and, where there is no Chief Magistrate within the Police Division, designate any Magistrate for that purpose, to, at least, every month, conduct an inspection of Police Stations or other places of detention within his territorial jurisdiction other than prison.

“The Chief Judge of every state of the nation, including the Federal Capital Territory, shall put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure compliance with the above provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act,” read the statement.

THE WHISTLER reports that Justice Onnoghen’s reaction to alleged brutality by the police comes 48 hours after the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, announced during a town hall meeting in Ibadan that the Federal Government plans on reviewing operations of SARS in the country.

Osinbajo had said, “President Buhari has ordered the review of the operations, working strategies and total overhaul of SARS.”

The Vice President had assured the gathering that the government plans to overhaul the operations of the unit as a matter of urgency.

“We must have a force to protect the lives and property of the people; you know SARS is Special Anti-Robbery Squad, though some of them have been engaging in some activities contrary to their mode of operations,” said Osinbajo.