No justification for retaining SARS in north – Shehu Sani

…As some kaduna residents frown at SARS Swap
By Ujah Simon, KADUNA
A lawmaker who represented kaduna central at the 8th National Assembly,  Senator Shehu Sani, said the high level banditry, kidnapping and terrorism activities in the north are justification never to retain SARS. Shehu Sani explained that the  Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has never proven to be an effective and reliable force in confronting, containing or combating the acts of criminalities in the area..
The human rights activist, who was reacting to some residents of Borno state, who took to the streets to protest the disbandment of SARS, on his verified twitter handle  stated that the pro SARS protesters are Alsatians of the system.
According to Sani, “the dissolution of SARS; is a victory for all the voices of courage who spoke and stood in the defense of the freedom, rights and Justice for all Nigerians.
“A genuine democracy must always balance its security exigencies with its obligations to respect the constitutional rights of its people,” he twitted.
Similarly, some residents of Kaduna state, have expressed displeasure over the swapping of SARS to Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT), saying that it is a method of bringing back the same product in different brand.
One of the residents who spoke on the issue with journalists said, the swapping will still take the nation back to square one of police brutality.
He opined that holistic reform of the security architecture should be the priority of the Nigerian government than swapping from SARS to SWAT.
In his reaction, Yunus Yahaya said SARS to SWAT is a problem changing name, while the problem remains.
” To me, Nigeria’s SWAT may actually be next- level SARS,” Yahaya explained.
He also called for total reform of the Nigerian security architecture; from Police to Army, Navy and other security agencies.