Nigeria's number one man, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the IGP to deal with police officers who err.
The president, on Friday night sent a directive to the police authorities to sanction officers found stepping out of bounds. Buhari spoke as violence erupted in Abuja and Osogbo on the second day of the #EndSARS protests after armed policemen teargased protesters.
The protests spread to more parts of the country and with more intensity especially on the social media, The Nation reports.
Apart from #EndSARS there were also “#EndSarsNow #EndSarsProtests #EndSARSProtest #EndSARSImmediately” attracting over ten million tweets.
Meanwhile, Nigerians in diaspora especially in US, United Kingdom, Canada, UAE have also showed solidarity to join the campaign against police brutality by protesting at various embassies. The protesters insisted that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad must be “completely disbanded”.
No fewer than 14 men were arrested in Ughelli, Delta State over Thursday’s bloody protest in the city.
The police described the arrested persons as hoodlums who masterminded the Thursday attack on security men during which a policeman was killed.
Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu and Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege yesterday condemned the attack on the police in Delta State.
But the police ruled out scrapping SARS.
President Buhari received briefing from Police Inspector General Mohammed Adamu for the second time in as many days on the #ENDSARS protests.
The president with whom was Vice President Yemi Osinbajo directed the IG to “conclusively address the concerns of Nigerians regarding these excesses, and ensure erring personnel are brought to justice.”
He appealed for “patience and calm, even as Nigerians freely exercise their right to peacefully make their views known.
Buhari who wrote on Twitter said: ”The vast majority of men and women of the Nigeria Police Force are patriotic and committed to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians, and we will continue to support them to do their job.
“I met again with the IGP tonight. Our determination to reform the police should never be in doubt.
“I am being briefed regularly on the reform efforts ongoing to end police brutality and unethical conduct, and ensure that the Police are fully accountable to the people.”
Presidential aide Bashar Ahmed first dropped hint of the briefing when he said on Twitter earlier in the day that the IG brief Buhari on Thursday.
He said: “Good people of Nigeria have every right to protest the #PoliceBrutality or anything they see is not going on well.The President was briefed yesterday (Thursday) by the IG of Police. I am very sure action will be taken and in the best interest of Nigeria.”
