By Ayo Kehinde
Gov Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum
Nigerian 36 states Governors have asked Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police, to fish out the policemen responsible for the deaths of #EndSars protesters across the country and consult widely before going ahead with the creation of the Special Weapons And Tactics Team in replacement of the disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS.
The governors who held a virtual meeting on Thursday, said after listening to a briefing by Adamu that after undergoing a psychological and medical examination, about 50 SWAT officials would be deployed to each of the 36 states command of the Nigeria Police Force for only intelligence gathering operations, they urged him to consult widely before deploying the new outfit and to speedily bring the police culprits to book
International human rights watch group, Amnesty International, reportedly said 10 protesters had been killed during the protests that have been rocking the country since October 7, 2020,. The protesters are demanding an end to police brutality, compensation for victims, concrete measures on reforms, training and welfare for policemen and women.
At the end of the meeting the governors issued a communiqué, which was signed and read by Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi. The communiqué reads in part:
“Governors were unequivocal that all police officers who participated in the abuse or actions that might have led to injury or the death of innocent citizens must be fished out and brought to book while other Nigerians who have been adversely affected by police brutality or other actions that were injurious to them or their loved ones, should be compensated”
“Members also recommended that the IGP, the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Council should immediately review the Remuneration and Emoluments of police officers and explore ways to fund this in order to incentivize and motivate police officers who have pledged themselves in service of the country.”.
“Governors enjoined the IGP to be ready to forge stronger partnerships with State governments and the civil society to improve civil relations between the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Public;
“Members also agreed that the concerns of the public went beyond a need for Police/FSARS reforms and included a demand for better governance; They noted the need to engage, consult the public and take decisions that address the underpinning issues leading to the protests; Members noted that some States had already started the process of engaging protesters and urged all States to engage all stakeholders for a collectively agreed resolution.”
“On the IGP’s plan to create SWAT, governors stated that though the effort might be necessary, they argued that the timing is inauspicious as the mood of the nation negates it and may understandably be misinterpreted as a surreptitious move to dress FSARS in another garb.”
“Governors emphasized that reforms must include the training and retraining of operatives on the rules of engagement with the general public; Policing in Nigeria must ensure freedom for all Nigerians to carry out their lawful and legitimate businesses anywhere in the country without fear of harassment, intimidation or molestation;
“Governors advised that throughout the reform process, the room for consultation may include sessions and direct feedback from the public, stressing that there is no single solution that applies to all the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.”
The governors “recommended that the IGP the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Council should immediately review the remuneration and emolument of the police officers and explore ways to fund this in order to motivate police officers who have pledged themselves to the service of the country”
