The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has commended the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria saying it’s one of the most successful demonstrations Nigeria has ever witnessed, oyogist.com learnt.
He stressed that the government had started the process of unprecedented reform of the police and is also in the process of implementing all the reforms.
He further stated that the #EndSARS group should end the protest which had already turned violent.
He said;
“With every challenge, there is always an opportunity, and the opportunity this protest has given us is to look at a more holistic approach to reforming our internal security.
“For the first time in the history of this country, a special police tactical unit is being formed which will be supervised not by a Police Command but a committee to be chaired by the governor of each state with representatives of youths and Civil Society Organisations.
“The committee chaired by the governor will have the responsibility to supervise the way the special security unit relates to the public and carry out its duties.
“The panel being put up will take complaints from the public with regards to human rights abuses; this has never happened in the history of this country,” he said.
Mohammed said the government would set up a Victim Support Fund to compensate victims of police brutality and extrajudicial killings in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“In line with the new Police Act, officers to be enlisted in the new tactical police unit will be tested psychologically and mentally to be sure that they are fit for the operations.
“This will put a big check on police abuse and extrajudicial killing which we have witnessed over the decades,” he said.
