F-SARS: A Tip of the Iceberg

Nigerian streets that have for many occasions witnessed the extra-judicial killings of young Nigerians now bear restive youths fed up with the excesses of security operatives particularly the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS). Over the years, Nigerians have accepted some of the illegal activities of the Police. However, for every action, there is a reaction; and every stimulus, a response. The infamy of F-SARS has triggered social media agitations, notably, the die-hard \”#EndSARS\” campaign. More brazen physical activities are the recent violent confrontation of members of the policing unit in their brutality of Nigerians, especially the youths.

What can these agitations achieve? The many years of protests have not solved the problem. But they have brought the issue under public eye and discourses.  Protesters no longer want the government to end SARS, they want it to happen immediately. Hence, the \”#EndSARSNow\” campaign. Government responses to the extra-judicial killings, maiming, extortion, illegal arrests and searches by the unit have only been a drop in the ocean. On Sunday, 4th October 2020, Nigeria\’s Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, banned F-SARS from carrying out stop and search, setting up roadblocks and invasion of privacy of citizens. The realities and experiences of many Nigerians about this police unit are that of man\’s inhumanity to man.  Others would describe them as monsters in uniform.

Without doubt, there is a consensus, especially among the ordinary masses that the entirety of F-SARS are rogue and the unit be disbanded. Also, a section of the political class argues that a few bad eggs are ruining the reputation of the group. However, beyond F-SARS, there is a fundamental problem with the Nigerian security structure, especially the Nigerian Police. The activities of the group transcend through its parent body (the Police Force) and reflect the systemic issues in the Police. According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), \”everyone is in on the game\”. In Nigeria, the Force has become a symbol of corruption, mismanagement and abuse.

Ninety years and counting, the Nigerian Police Force has not evolved into a transparent and efficient body that can manage the realities of contemporary Nigeria. The infamous F-SARS has become a prominent example to discuss the rot that exists within the Force. As a policy option, disbanding the unit means redeploying its members to mainstream Police where they are likely to relaunch the cycle of extra-judicial killings and brutality. Therefore, the government must address the problem of F-SARS as an institution-wide rot.

Given the current security situation in the country, it essential that discussions around security is evidenced-based and focused on addressing internal challenges within the Force and the Nigerian society. For instance, rather than an F-SARS-targeted policy action, efforts must be made to revamp the entire Force as other of its members outside the F-SARS are culpable to police brutality and misconducts. The Nigerian Police Act, which was recently signed into law by President Buhari, is an excellent place to start. Alongside other intentions, the Act aims to ensure police officials are held accountable for their actions with making arrests, searches and detention of persons. Without robust and organisation-wide policy action, the change may only be a tip of the iceberg.