Nigeria's Acting President Orders Upgrade of Controversial Police Unit

Nigeria's acting president has requested the upgrade of a police unit following charges of human rights infringement, his representative said Tuesday, as the administration looks to shine its security record in front of February's presidential race. 

VP Yemi Osinbajo is incidentally head of state while President Muhammadu Buhari, who intends to remain for re-race, takes a 10-day occasion in Britain. 

Buhari came to control in 2015 on promises to make Nigeria more secure however rough wrongdoing stays endemic, a jihadist uprising proceeds in the upper east, and security powers are frequently blamed for acting with exemption. 

Osinbajo trained the leader of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to change the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and requested an autonomous examination after "industrious grievances and reports" that verged on "affirmations of human rights infringement," an administration proclamation said. 

The unit — in charge of handling genuine wrongdoing, for example, furnished theft, grabbing and dairy cattle stirring — has been obstinate by claims of misuse for quite a long time, in spite of the fact that the NPF has more than once denied any bad behavior. 

A NPF representative said an announcement would be issued. 

A year ago, an online life battle called for SARS to be disbanded as individuals shared stories, photos and recordings of claimed abuse. 

The upper place of parliament voted in December 2017 to research SARS and, around the same time, the police investigator general declared that the unit would be rearranged. The discoveries of the request still can't seem to be reported. 

A week ago, Osinbajo let go the leader of the mystery police, the Department of State Security (DSS), in the wake of a barricade of parliament by its specialists.