SARS brutality still prevalent in Nigeria – NOI surveys

Majority of Nigerians still consider abuses committed by members of the restructured Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as a prevalent issue in the country, two surveys by NOI Polls revealed.

Report of the findings released by the Corporate Communications Officer of NOI Polls, Adedoyin Betiku, revealed that in the survey on Public Perception of Police Brutality, 77% of Nigerians who participated in the poll described police brutality as a prevalent issue in Nigeria.

It was further revealed that the surveys, which also covered policemen at checkpoints and elsewhere, confirmed that police misconduct is not just an old problem but remains an issue of strong public concern as well.

“The findings by NOI Polls, a polling firm which is highly regarded for its credible country-specific surveys across West Africa, may also indicate that various pronouncements and actions by the police authorities are not having much impact.

“In the second survey on Police Misconduct, 78% of those polled said illegal activities by Nigerian police personnel are prevalent; a whopping 83 percent identified bribe taking as rampant in the police force,” the report read in part.

The CEO of NOI Polls, Dr Chike Nwangwu, was quoted to have described the two surveys as both confirmatory and surprising.

“The concern of Nigerians regarding the high incidence of illegal activities by the police which is supported by the findings of the poll is not surprising. That is well documented. The consistent reports of alleged abuses by SARS and other police personnel in social media are not new. But the high proportion of respondents in the two polls who say that improving the welfare of policemen should be a key part of the solution is very significant,” Nwangwu was quoted to have said.