Nigeria police - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Nigeria police repel attack by gunmen, one officer dies

A group of armed men attacked a police division in Zurmi town, in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, but were repelled by officers with casualties recorded on both sides, the police said. Gangs of heavily armed men referred to as bandits by locals have wreaked havoc across Nigeria's northwest in the past three years, kidnapping thousands, killing hundreds, and making it unsafe to travel by road or to farm in some areas. Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said suspected bandits wielding sophisticated weapons attacked the division late on Sunday, killing a senior officer and wounding two others. "The policemen on duty…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

‘I was going to die there’: Lagos panel begins hearing police brutality claims

NEWS

LIBBY GEORGE A judicial panel investigating claims of police brutality and the shooting of protesters began hearing complaints in Lagos on Tuesday in a nation on edge following Nigeria's biggest upheaval in 20 years. Independent investigations were a core demand of protesters who successfully demanded the end of a widely feared police branch called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The demonstrations turned violent on October 20 when witnesses said the military opened fire on peaceful protesters. The army said it was not there. Authorities said at least 13 states have established judicial panels. The Lagos panel has yet to receive…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Perfect storm’: How Nigeria’s peaceful police protests turned violent

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM TEARS fill Ephraim Osinboyejo's eyes as he recalls the idealism that drove thousands of Nigerians like him into the streets to campaign against police brutality - and the night he saw young activists gunned down. The 39-year-old businessman says he returned to Nigeria last year after two decades abroad because he wanted to help his country. When nationwide demonstrations began on October 8, he volunteered to manage logistics at the main protest site in Lagos. But what began as a largely peaceful movement, driven by young, tech-savvy activists who used social media to grab global attention, turned into…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

#EndSARS: What it feels like to be in the shoes of a young Nigerian

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

OLUDAYO TADE, Researcher in criminology, victimology, electronic frauds and cybercrime, University of Ibadan FOLLOWING weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality, led by young Nigerians who complain of being targeted by the police, Adejuwon Soyinka asked Oludayo Tade, a sociologist, to help us understand what it feels like being a young Nigerian living in the country today. Why have the protests been driven by young Nigerians? The immediate trigger of the protest has to do with the brutalisation of young Nigerians by the trigger happy and extortionist Special Anti-Robbery Squad, now disbanded. Members of the unit extorted and abused the…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Lagos imposes 24-hour curfew amid protests against Nigeria’s police

NEWS

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM and LIBBY GEORGE THE Nigerian state of Lagos has imposed a 24-hour curfew, saying protests against alleged police brutality had turned violent after a police station in the commercial capital was set on fire. A business group said the demonstrations had cost Nigeria $1.8 billion. Thousands of Nigerians demanding an end to alleged police brutality have taken to the streets every day for more than a week across the country, posing a challenge to President Muhammadu Buhari. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the curfew would affect all parts of the state, including Lagos - Africa's largest city with 20…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Why disbanding the notorious anti-robbery squad won’t stop bad policing in Nigeria

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LANRE IKUTEYIJO, , Obafemi Awolowo University A wave of protests has spread through Nigeria as citizens call for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit of the Nigeria Police. This followed footage that went viral of the squad beating a man to death. Protesters took to the streets and started a social media campaign using the hashtag #ENDSARS. On Sunday, October 11, 2020, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced the unit would be dissolved, though protests continued as there was little clarity on what the next steps would be. Nigeria has had several special tactical police…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s police disbands controversial anti-robbery Squad after protests

NEWS

ALEXIS AKWAGYRIRAM and ABRHAHIM ACHIRGA THE head of Nigeria's police dissolved its Special Anti-Robbery Squad with immediate effect, a police statement said, prompted by days of protests across the country against alleged brutality by the controversial unit. The protests broke out after a video circulated last week allegedly showing members of the unit - known as SARS - shooting dead a man in Delta state. It also prompted a globally-trending social media campaign to abolish the squad. Demonstrators also alleged that police shot dead another man while marching in the southwestern city of Ogbomosho on Saturday. Police did not respond…