Nigerians have continued to share their harrowing encounters with the dreaded Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) despite many training on human rights for the cops .
FSARS, a special unit under the Nigerian police, was established to require charge of specific functions about crime prevention and control also on secure lives and property.
But their direct contact with members of the general public has led to extortion, torture and other reported human rights abuses.
The Nigerian government had, on several occasions, put together training and workshops for the officers on the way to be disciplined and professional within the discharge of their duties.
Instead of the training to enhance the human rights record of FSARS, the officers have continued to violate the rights of Nigerians.
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The police authority had in 2018 engaged German government and trained many officers in 37 FSARS formations within the country.
As a part of the measures to overhaul the unit, the Nigeria police organised a two-week training on human rights for 135 operatives drawn from 37 FSARS formations within the country.
Also, a person's rights activist and Convener of Nigerians Unite Against Terror, Dr Joe Odumakin, in 2016, organised training for the cops to be civil in handling the citizens.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, had in 2019 ordered a complete reorganisation of the unit of the force mode of operations with a stress on orientation, ethics and performance delineation.
As a part of the reforms and new standard operating procedures and code of conduct for all FSARS personnel, human rights desk officers were mandated to receive complaints on rights abuses by operatives of the special squad.
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They were also asked to not become involved in civil and commercial cases and forbidden from escorting private individuals.
From all indications, the special squad has continued to work outside the norms because the officers still intervene in civil cases and torture their victims recklessly.
The Nigerian authorities have did not prosecute one officer from the notorious activities despite anti-torture legislation passed in 2017 and evidence that its members still use torture and other ill-treatment to execute, punish and extract information from suspects.
Amnesty International documented a minimum of 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial execution by FSARS between January 2017 and should 2020.
The Nigerian Senate had on several occasions investigated alleged human rights abuses by the squad, but tangible actions had been taken to restrain the excesses of the FSARS apart from occasional pronouncements of reforms by the govt .
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