The Senate has urged the Federal Government to speed up the implementation of the five-point demands of #EndSARS protesters.
Senate Spokesperson, Dr Ajibola Basiru, made this known on Friday night.
Tuesday, it was reported that the Presidential Panel on the Reform of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad approved the five-point demands put forward by youths protesting against the brutality and extrajudicial killings by operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Although the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, scrapped the police unit last Sunday and announced a replacement, the protesters want the police authorities to carry out psychological evaluation and re-training of all disbanded SARS officers before they are redeployed.
They demand the release of all arrested protesters, justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensation for their families. They also want increased salaries for police officers as well as the establishment of an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reports of police misconduct.
The government and some business leaders had tried to persuade the youths to leave the streets but the protesters have insisted that until the government implement their demands, the demonstrations would continue.
Speaking on a television programme last night, the senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District said the two chambers of the National Assembly had inaugurated their constitutional review committees on the reformation of the Nigeria Police Force
“Beyond legislative action is the need to take timeous executive action. For instance, stopping the SARS is an executive action because no law actually set up the SARS.
“The 5-point demand of the protesters has been passed to the presidential committee and they agreed to it and we are expecting implementation.
“In terms of implementation, it is faster for the executive arm of government to make implementation,” he said, adding that there was the need for confidence-building between the police and the members of the public, particularly the youths.
Basiru also noted that the #EndSARS protests that have led to gridlocks which have grounded economic activities in most Nigerian cities are proof that the security apparatus of the country should be decentralised.
“Personally, as a senator from Osun Central, I have sponsored a constitutional review bill to have state police. I believe the country is so large, our security challenges are so huge and there is a need for us to marry the rule of law and human rights of our people and it is in this context that we will be able to address the issue,” he added.