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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said he is determined to end police brutality, introduce reforms and bring “misguided personnel … to justice.”
His comments came after two days of protests sparked by a video of a man allegedly killed by police.
The protest movement initially targeted the federal Special Anti-Theft Squad (Sars), widely accused of illegal arrests, torture and murder.
The protesters say they want the unit to disband rather than reform.
Previous commitments to change police behavior have had no effect, critics say.
In a series of tweets, the president said that the “determination of his government to reform the police should never be in doubt.”
He added that he was being “informed … about ongoing reform efforts to end police brutality and unethical conduct.”
But he called for calm and emphasized that most of the police officers were committed to protecting Nigerians.
On Friday, in the capital Abuja, police fired tear gas at protesters highlighting harassment and police brutality.
A police spokesman said minimal force had been used, but protesters told the BBC that some people had been beaten and one said he had heard gunshots.
The #EndSARS hashtag was trending worldwide on Twitter on Friday with celebrities such as Nigerian superstars Wizkid and Davido tweeting their support for the protesters.
British-Nigerian Star Wars actor John Boyega has also expressed his support on social media.
Source: BBC
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