Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has promised “extensive” reforms amid protests against police brutality.
He also promised justice for victims of police abuse and an investigation into the death of a protester in Oyo state.
Demonstrators have long called for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) to be broken up.
But they remain unhappy following Sunday’s announcement that officers are being redeployed to other units rather than being disciplined.
The protests have continued for a sixth day, with eyewitnesses saying police shot dead a protester in Lagos’ Surulere neighbourhood on Monday.
Earlier, there were reports of protesters barricading a major road in the commercial hub of Lagos, and others gathering close to the city’s main airport.
Over the weekend, protests against Sars spread to Europe and Canada after reports of unlawful arrests, torture and shootings.
In Monday’s video address, President Buhari said disbanding Sars was “only the first step” in a range of reforms, but added that police officers were hard-working, and the reputation of the force should not be tarnished by a “few bad eggs”.
The disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reforms in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection of lives and livelihood of our people. pic.twitter.com/XjQMSr3jlm
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) October 12, 2020
