Special Anti-Robbery Squad
Former Nigerian police unit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was a Nigerian Police Force unit created in late 1992 to deal with crimes associated with robbery, motor vehicle theft, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and firearms. It was part of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), headed by the then Deputy Inspector General of Police Anthony Ogbizi.[1]
This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. (October 2020) |
Special Anti-Robbery Squad | |
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Abbreviation | SARS |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1992 |
Dissolved | 11 October 2020 |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Nigeria |
Nigeria | |
Size | 923,768 km2 |
Population | 206 million |
Governing body | Ministry of Police Affairs |
Constituting instruments |
|
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Louis Edet House, Abuja |
Website | |
www.npf.gov.ng |
SARS was controversial for its links to extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, extortion, torture, framing, blackmail, kidnapping, illegal organ trade, armed robbery, home invasions, rape of men and women, child arrests, the invasion of privacy, and polluting bodies of water with the illegal disposal of human remains. SARS was investigated several times in response to protests, but without results; reforms were promised in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.[2][3] The unit was disbanded on 11 October 2020 after worldwide protests under the motto "End SARS" occurred.[4][5]