THE LABOUR party wants Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to be investigated. 

This follows the shooting of peaceful protesters at Lekki tollgate. 

People had come out to demonstrate against the controversial police squad, which is accused of killing young Nigerians.

The Labour party also wants any military, security or other police forces involved to be held accountable. 

Sanctions?

MP Kate Osamor has suggested that an independent investigation might lead to Magnitsky-style sanctions against individuals who are responsible. 

According to Wikipedia, a Magnitsky style sanction is when foreign individuals are sanctioned for human rights abuses or corruption. 

Individuals might have their assets frozen or be banned from entering a country.

The type of sanction was first introduced by the USA. However, other countries have since applied similar laws under different names. 

The benefit of doing this, rather than sanctioning an entire country, is that poor people do not suffer.

This critique, that poor people would be most affected by sanctions against the entire country, was levelled at earlier petitions against SARS.

The UK was involved in the training of Nigerian police

The Labour party also wants the government to consider suspending its Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) funding to Nigeria.

OSJA is how the UK funds ‘security’ in foreign countries.

James Dudderidge, the UK minister for Africa has said that Nigeria’s SARS unit had received training from the UK up until March this year. 

Osamor said the government owed it to the victims of the police unit to explain why it had provided the funding. 

Her Majesty’s Government is “only rarely able to publish the full reasoning behind its decisions,” according to OSJA Human Rights Guidance available online.

Though Boris Johnson said in the report that this was not due to any “aversion to scrutiny.”

Osamor tweeted that until a full investigation into SARS is complete, the government should consider suspending funding and training for Nigerian soldiers, officers or security. 

Nigeria has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing at Lekki tollgate, though it has been condemned on social media.