General Interest First

This time around, the protest ignited after a video showing the alleged killing of a man by an officer in the Southern Delta State was widely shared online last week. Though police denied the video was real, protesters across Nigeria took to the streets for several days to demand an end to brutality with many celebrities across the country echoing their support to them through the social media.

For years now, Nigerians have accused the notorious police unit of harassment, unlawful arrests, torture and even killings. Their plea has not fallen on deaf ears as President Muhammadu Buhari has come in. In a tweet on Friday the President called on demonstrators to be “calm and patient”.

“Our determination to reform the police should never be in doubt. I am being briefed regularly on the reform efforts ongoing to end police brutality and unethical conduct, and ensure that the Police are fully accountable to the people,” Buhari posted on Twitter.

Even though President Buhari has made a timely outing to assure Nigerians of the numerous reforms in the pipeline, the applicability of these reforms is what the population is eager to see in the days ahead. This is because it is not the first time police reforms are being promised in Nigeria by the highest authority. “This is the fourth time in five years this government is promising to reform SARS. Eno...