The Senate, on Wednesday, October 7, mandated the arrest and prosecution of operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad who were involved in the recent killings of innocent Nigerians across the country.
This was pronounced by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan while ruling on the Senate resolution on a motion by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
In her motion, Tinubu had called the attention of her colleagues to the recent extra-judicial killings and human rights abuses by SARS operatives.
Lawan said a mere dismissal of overzealous and reckless operatives was not enough but that they must be made to face the full wrath of the law.
The Senate President said, “Those who are involved in the recent killings of innocent Nigerians should be arrested and prosecuted.
“Scrapping the SARS now may not be the best option because the nation may lose the best hands in the agency while trying to do away with the bad eggs among them.
“The dismissal of the bad ones among them is not also enough. Offenders must be arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.”
The Senate also mandated its committee on Police, Judiciary, and Human Rights to probe human rights abuses of Nigerians by SARS operatives in the last few years.
Furthermore, the Senate asked the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to establish a special unit that will constantly investigate and monitor the conduct of SARS operatives.
It also directed the authorities of the Nigerian Police Force to utilise part of its trust fund to trains its operatives.
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it recorded 646 convictions and recovered more than N11 billion in monetary assets this year, despite the restriction imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Umar Abba, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday, October 6, 2020.
Specifically, he spoke while addressing the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes. This was contained in a statement issued by the spokesperson of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren.
Uwujaren said in the statement that the Senate Committee had expressed the desire of the Upper Legislative House to see a reformed and rebranded EFCC.
This, according to the committee, will help in its fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes in the country.
Sen. Suleiman Kwari, the Chairman of the Committee; advised that 90 percent of investigation should be done before “arrest is effected”.
He added that “media hype must stop. If you want to be effective, forget the media. Do the work and let your work speak for you.”
