SARS protest may escalate - Intl Diplomatic Expert

International Diplomatic Consultant, Farouk Al-Wahab, has said that international bodies such as the United Nations (UN) must intervene in the ongoing protest in Nigeria.

According to him, The UN without delay should not wait until the protest in Nigeria escalates before coming in. “The UN must not wait”

Speaking on Happy FM’s Epa Hoa Daben with Kwame Afrifa-Mensah, Al-Wahab said, “The intervention of the UN in Nigeria is long overdue and the spillover of this protest can affect other African countries

The demonstration has gone on for over three weeks and the youth are not giving up and their efforts have rather attracted the active participation of other groups”

He added that “Nigerians who are young at heart have joined them. The Nigerian government should dialogue with the youth and reach a consensus to prevent mayhem in the country.”

Protests in Nigeria against a police unit accused of human rights abuses were expected to spread to London this weekend, in a further sign of the international solidarity that has formed around the movement.

As social media posts and local TV coverage showed people take to the streets again in several towns and cities in the West African country, there were also reports on Sunday that a march was on its way from Marble Arch in the English capital to the Nigerian High Commission.

SARS was set up in 1984 to tackle a growing problem of people stealing from each other using force in Nigeria.

Supporters say it initially succeeded, but critics say it has been linked to the deaths of people it has investigated. Since the 1990s, rights groups like Amnesty International have documented a series of allegations involving the unit, which campaigners say have worsened in recent years.