![]() That said, there are no two situations that are alike. “Excessive force” is defined as force that is beyond that which would be appropriate for the situation. Similarly, though, police officers have begun recording their interactions with civilians in order to protect themselves from false claims of police brutality. Verbal abuse is never permitted legally, or by policy, but once again, this is a difficult thing to prove in many cases.Ĭivilians have been using their mobile devices to record interactions with police in order to stream instances of what they believe are police brutality online, alerting the public that this kind of behavior is occurring. ![]() Research suggests that, because police are permitted to use physical force when necessary, it is often difficult to prove that excessive force was used in a particular situation. 1.While many countries have laws on the books that address the issue of police brutality, and while it is considered a serious offense, many complaints made by civilians do not even reach the investigation stage. Very few cases of corruption and abuse at the hands of the police are investigated, and there is very little accountability from the Nigerian government.ĭespite the government’s promises to scrap SARS and reform the police, many young protestors are sceptical “that SARS officers are being adopted into the police force without any accountability”, writes Emmanuel Akinwotu in The Guardian. As the battle to #EndSARS continues, we take a look at 10 powerful photographs capturing the fight for justice in Lagos. Last year, a public survey found the police force to be the most corrupt institution in Nigeria. Police brutality and corruption in Nigeria is a product of colonialism. The Nigeria Police was conceived in 1861 by the British colonisers who seized Lagos, and, as Binzak Azeez writes, was established “to utterly combat and repress all attempted resistance from Lagos communities against the colonial administrators.” To this day, Nigerian police uphold and enforce an elitist class system-as almost a third of all officers exist to serve and protect the upper echelons of Nigerian society, as opposed to performing normal police duties. If anyone gets hurt, arrested or missing while trying to get home, we know exactly who’s fault it is & we will continue to apply pressure. How do you announce a 24hr curfew at 11:49am in a state like Lagos with it’s peculiar gridlock situation? The movement to #EndSARS began in 2017, but the government’s decision on 4 October to prohibit the unit from carrying out stop-and-searches and refocus it on violent crime-instead of completely eradicating it-sparked uproar which has continued every day since, and has seen peaceful protestors teargassed and police brutality continue. SARS, the police unit designed to control violent crime charge (and recently ‘rebranded’ as Special Weapons and Tactics Team, or SWAT) has a long history of abusing its power by profiling and targeting young people, carrying out unlawful detentions, arrests and unwarranted searches, driving unmarked cars, not wearing uniforms as well as violently attacking, raping, abducting and murdering civilians. Witnesses say as many as 12 people have been killed and more wounded. After two weeks of protests in the Nigerian capital calling to end the police brutality and disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), soldiers opened fire at unarmed youths who were out past the abruptly-announced 24 hour curfew that had been imposed earlier in the day. The events that unfolded at Lekki toll gate in Lagos last night were nothing short of a massacre.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |