A Nigerian police unit set up to combat violent crime, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), has been routinely torturing detainees and accepting bribes in exchange for freedom, according to a report by Amnesty International. What’s worse is there are no laws in place yet to stop these human rights violations.
According to the report, former detainees have been “subjected to horrific torture methods, including hanging, starvation, beatings, shootings and mock executions." by SARS officers. One victim described his torture as being hanged “on a suspended iron rod” until his body “ceased to function….When I was about to die,” he added, “they took me down and poured water on me to revive me.” He was not even arrested for a violent crime.
AI’s report documents how attempts made to stop these horrendous violations of human rights have been useless so far. In 2012 a bill criminalizing torture was returned unsigned by the President. In 2014 Nigerian police adopted policies to prohibit torture and other ill-treatment of detainees that SARS failed to implement. Then in 2015 a new inspector general promised reorganization of SARS and other reforms that never happened.
A revised bill to criminalize torture in Nigeria is now being reconsidered and was passed by the House of Representatives in June 2016. AI says “Nigeria is obligated under international and regional human rights law to ensure the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.”
Sign this petition to demand that this rogue police unit be investigated by the Nigerian Government and that President Muhammadu Buhari sign the new bill to criminalize torture.
To President Muhammadu Buhari:
The Nigerian Government's failure to stop the horrendous acts of torture and human rights violations with past efforts is an outrage. According to Amnesty International, after the organization asked "why no police officers had been suspended or prosecuted for torture, the police simply denied that any torture had taken place." However, adds AI, one senior officer admitted that at least 40 SARS police had been involved in torture and transferred, but not investigated.
There is simply no excuse for this lack of accountability or for these egregious human rights to continue. Therefore I, the undersigned, insist that you and the Nigerian Goverment take immediate steps to steps to stop these violations, including conducting an investigation of SARS and passing and signing a bill to criminalize torture in Nigeria.
Thank you for your time.
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