The Inspector-General of Police, Muhammad Adamu, has came under fire on Tuesday as looters continued attacks on both the government and private establishments with futile efforts by the police force to stop them.
The police had yet to fully return to streets of Abuja and Lagos five days after the #EndSARS protests ended, despite the IG’s order last week.
In Abuja, the police failed to stop looters who invaded the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in Kubwa and the Peoples Democratic Party office in Gwagwalada, vandalizing and stealing office equipment, including mattresses, among others.
Although, the looters attempt to invade the Nigerian Customs Service Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada was repelled by armed NCS operatives as they fired gunshots in the air to stop them.
It was reported that the youths demanded the disbandment of SARS on October 8 and embarked on two weeks protests in major cities across the country.
Although,on October 12, the Federal Government granted the demand of the protesters by disbanding SARS, but the youth insisted that government had not met their five demands in which the demands include; release of all #EndSARS protesters, justice for the deceased victims of police brutality, setting up of panels to investigate police brutality, psychological evaluation of SARS officers and increase in police salary.
On Tuesday, the Federal Government’s Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations by SARS said it had received 65 petitions on rights abuses by the police unit.
The Secretary of the IPP, Mr Hilary Ogbonna, stated that the panel had received 50 petitions from different parts of the country before the inauguration last week Wednesday and 16 thereafter.
He said, “We had received 50 petitions before. Over the last one week we have received 16. So, we have received 65 petitions so far. But that is not the final figure as we keep receiving petitions"
Ogbonna said, “We are considering next week, but no date yet", when asked when the panel would begin sitting.
The attacks happened despite claims by the authorities that they had deployed soldiers and police personnel to beef up security across the Federal Capital Territory.