Police arrest 32 SARS operatives, detain them in Abuja

- No fewer than 32 SARS operatives have been arrested and detained in Abuja

- They were arrested for different crimes ranging from extortion to assault

- The affected officers are yet to be allowed to see their families and lawyers

As the #EndSARS protests continue all over Nigeria, 32 officers of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) have been arrested and are currently under investigations for various cases of misconduct.

The officials, according to a report by The Cable, are locked up in various cells in Abuja and have not been allowed to see their families or lawyers.

A source claimed that the order for the officers to be arrested and transferred to Abuja came from the inspector general of police, Idris Ibrahim.

The 32 officers, all male, are being detained for various kinds of misconducts including extortion and assault.

An anonymous source who spoke to the press said: “The suspects, who are all male, are now being held at various detention cells of the Federal SARS at Guzape District Abuja.

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“Since their arrival in Abuja, their family members and lawyers have not been allowed to see them based on an order from above.

“Their immediate orderly room trial and punitive measures will also become part of the ongoing moves to stem the tide of alleged impunity being campaigned against the police institution.

“At a recent meeting with the police management team, the IGP decided to apply prompt punishment for any SARS officer found wanting, here in Abuja instead of their commands where such cases are not properly handled."

The source claimed that most of the officers arrested are from Lagos state and Abuja.

When contacted, the police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said he was aware of the arrest but he can't ascertain the number of men arrested.

He said: “I am aware of their investigation but I don’t know the number of people involved.

“The nature of the investigation is such that if possible, the persons involved would be arrested.”

Recall that an online protest against alleged human rights abuse by officials of the SARS started towards the end of November 2017 on social media and had since graduated to a physical protest as protesters took to the street to call for the force squad to be scrapped immediately.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the human rights activis, Femi Falana, said the Nigerian government cannot afford to scrap SARS due to the increase in violent crimes which the regular police personnel have not been trained to combat.

Falana however advocated for the squad to be completely overhauled.

He said currently, the squad is partially illegal as it is a legacy of the military government.

The senior lawyer made the statement on Tuesday, December 12, during a Channels TV programme.

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Source: Legit.ng