Governors of the 19 Northern States in Nigeria rejected the total disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong, disclosed this to journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Thursday.
Lalong said the defunct police unit had been useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.
According to him, SARS was not made up of bad elements alone as it also included personnel doing their work diligently.
He said what was needed was the reformation of the unit to enable it to discharge its functions optimally.
Lalong, however, acknowledged that there were divisions in the country concerning the continued existence of the unit.
Anthony Ogunleye, chief press secretary to Mohammed Bello, FCT minister, said in a statement on Thursday that the activities of the protesters have endangered the lives of citizens going about their legitimate business.
“The FCT Security Committee met for its routine meeting on Tuesday October 13, 2020, to review the security situation in the Federal Capital Territory with a view to addressing identified challenges,” Ogunleye said.
“While the Committee recognizes the rights of citizens as regards freedom of association and movement as enshrined in the constitution, it has observed that the unruly conduct of the crowd and manner of demonstrations are in complete violation of the COVID-19 safety protocols which were put in place to safeguard the lives of citizens.
“These violations endanger the lives of not just the demonstrators, but also other citizens going about their legitimate concerns.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the COVID-19 guidelines regulating public gatherings recommend physical distancing, temperature checks, the use of facial coverings, amongst others.
“Clearly all these guidelines were flouted by the protesters. Consequently, the Committee directs that due to the dangers posed by COVID-19, all street demonstrations, protests and processions will not be allowed anywhere within the FCT.”
The ban also follows an ugly incident which played out in the city on Wednesday when furious thugs launched a fierce attack against protesters.
Armed with cutlasses and other weapons, the irate thugs streamed into the protest venue at Berger junction moments after the #EndSARS protesters had convened.
Apart from harrassing the protesters, including passers-by, the gaggle of thugs destroyed vehicles parked in the area.
At least five cars were destroyed, while an unconfirmed number of the protesters sustained injuries.
