As Nigeria marks another anniversary of the tragic 20 October 2020 killings at the Lekki Toll Gate, the words of late police officer Fulani Kwajafa echo with haunting relevance. In an old interview resurfaced by Premium Times Nigeria, Kwajafa — the man credited with championing the creation of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) — expressed deep regret for SAR’s creation.

According to Kwajafa, SARS was established in 1984 under the military regime of late General Muhammadu Buhari, following a directive to curb rampant armed robbery. Acting on orders from then Inspector-General of Police Etim Inyang, Kwajafa assembled a small, disciplined team to restore public safety. For a brief time, it worked — violent crime declined, and public confidence returned.

But over the decades, SARS mutated from a crime-fighting unit into a monstrous symbol of police brutality. It became notorious for extortion, torture, unlawful detention, and extrajudicial killings, largely targeting the same young Nigerians it was meant to protect.

The #EndSARS protests of 2020 were the people’s reckoning with this legacy — a demand for justice, dignity, and reform. The government’s violent response, culminating in the Lekki Toll Gate massacre, remains a dark stain on Nigeria’s conscience.

Today, as the nation remembers its fallen youth, late Kwajafa’s confession serves as both a warning and a call to renewal: Nigeria must rebuild a policing system rooted in integrity, accountability, and respect for life. Only by teaching our African cultural history and nurturing empathetic leadership can we ensure such a tragedy never repeats itself

EDIITOR: UnyfacJournal

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