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By Nasir Kura
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the recent action of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives from the Lagos State Police Command, which led to the avoidable death of Mr. Kolade Johnson.
The president acknowledged the genuine outrage regarding the activities of SARS and reassured the public that swift actions have already been taken.
He said the suspects are in custody and that an orderly room trial is set to commence immediately, following which indicted officers would be prosecuted in court.
“Government will not tolerate in any way the brutalization of Nigerians or the violation of their rights. Any officer of the law enforcement agencies or any other government functionary caught in this act will certainly be visited with the full weight of the law,” he said.
The president said a lot more remains to be done on the directives from the Presidency in 2018 to overhaul the management and activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
The president commiserated with the family of the deceased, and assured that steps were taken by the police leadership to restructure and reform SARS.
He assured that the present administration would continue to ensure that all officers in the police and other law enforcement agencies conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to international human rights and humanitarian law.
