The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has said some Nigerians mistook as weakness, the swift response of his regime to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
Buhari made this known in a live broadcast on Thursday evening.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had scrapped the special police unit in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.
Adamu had announced the Special Weapons and Tactics team as replacement for the disbanded team.
Addressing Nigerians on Thursday, the President said, “As a democratic government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth.
“On approving the termination of SARS, I already made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of extensive Police reforms.
Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for their selfish unpatriotic interests.
“The result of this is clear to all observers: human lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised; the sanctity of the Palace of a Peace Maker, the Oba of Lagos has been violated. So-called protesters have invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans of fellow Nigerians and our visitors.”