#EndSARS protests have outlived their usefulness — Pro-Buhari Group

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) on Wednesday called for restraint from #ENDSARS as the public rallies against police brutality continued in many parts of the country.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, said the ongoing protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) were no longer necessary since President Muhammadu Buhari had granted the protesters’ demand for the dissolution of the police tactical unit.

The BMO added that the police authorities had also followed up on the matter by ordering all SARS operatives to report at the Force Headquarters in Abuja for medical and psychological evaluation.

The statement read: “President Buhari has shown again that he leads an administration that listens, with the dissolution of SARS in line with the original demand of the ENDSARS protesters.

“We also acknowledge that when the protest movement came up with additional demands, including the investigation of human rights violation by SARS operatives, the presidential panel on police reforms granted their request and gave the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) one week to set up an independent panel to call for memoranda from members of the public whose rights may have been violated by the defunct SARS and other segments of the police.

“It is necessary to add that the police authorities have also been holding stakeholders meetings with civil society groups as part of a confidence-building measure to show their seriousness on disbanding the unit, this time after previous efforts failed.”

The group noted that the decision to establish the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) was taken after the meetings.

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“It is a fact that the dissolution of the unit was bound to create a gap in the police operational plans against armed robbery and violent crime, especially as there have been reported incidents in various states in the last few days.

“But we are surprised to see protesters kicking against the introduction of a new police unit to replace the defunct squad, immediately after the announcement by Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

“We consider it worrisome that many of them chose to ignore the part of the announcement on prospective members of the new team undergoing psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new assignment. This is aside from training at the different police tactical training institutions nationwide.

“It is against this background that we see the continuation of the protests as a call to anarchy which no country will tolerate, especially because there is no basis to demand an end to a plan that is meant to establish a modern, tactical police team that is in line with global best practices.

“The protests have outlived their usefulness and we urge young people on the streets to sit back and see how their cries for reform would be implemented.”

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