End SARS: ‘Police a ministry of injustice, don’t spare any erring Police officer, activist tells judicial panels

A leading human and civil rights activist, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, has urged the judicial panels of inquiry set up by some states of the federation to investigate police brutality not to spare any indicted Police officer.

He urged the members of the panels to do their work without fear or favour because Nigerians were watching them with what would be their outcome.

He made his position known in a recent statement, urging members of the panels to conduct a thorough, unbiased and credible investigation into all the allegations of brutality and extra-judicial killings leveled against the men and officers of the Nigeria Police, especially the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

Comrade Sulaiman, who is Executive Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), described Police formations in the land as “Ministry of Injustices”. He insisted that men and officers of SARS turned themselves to demons and court of law that could kill at will and no law gave anybody power to take the life of fellow human being at will in the land.

Sulaiman, who doubles as Convener, Save Lagos Group (SLG), listed the Police formations known for notorious actions against innocent citizens of the country as: Ogun State FSARS Maagbon, Lagos F-SARS Adeniji Adele, Alagbon F-CID, Gbagada Charley Boy Bus-Stop Anti-cultism Squad, Ikorodu SARS office, Cement Area Iyana-Ipaja SARS office, Olusegun Obasanjo library IGP F-SARS office,Obada-Oko Zone 2 SARS Annex, Ogijo Police Station and many other Police killer-squad offices across the land.

The rights activist however strongly condemned the jungle justice against the no fewer than 22 officers of Nigeria Police during the recent #EndSARS protests across the country.

He advised the Inspector General of Police Muhammed Adamu to stop giving provocative order to Police officers because such an order could trigger another crisis between the Nigeria people and the Police.

Sulaiman advised the Police Chief to begin the re-orientation of the rank and file and officers of the Nigeria Police Force in order to work within the ambit of the Law instead of encouraging them to adopt the violent attack against the perceived enemies.

According to him; “The IGP order to officers of Nigeria Police Force is primitive and barbaric because our present social atmosphere cannot accommodate such directive.

“Officers of the Force should be taught to imbibe the culture of self-discipline by stopping the violation of human rights of the Nigerians in line of their constitutional duties.

“The IGP should know that it would not be augur well for the Police to use brute force to suppress public anger and frustration of the system. Such action would continue threaten our fragile unity more than ever. The judicial panels, on their part, should ensure that justice is served where it is supposed to be served at the end of their sittings.”

Sulaiman added that the Police boss should strive hard on how to restore the lost glory and confidence of Nigeria Police to the mind of the people by ensuring that the good officers outnumbered the bad ones in the Force because Police is indispensable to our society.