The Nigerian Bar Association has asked the Federal Government to be sincere in its disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad by throwing all detention centres of SARS open.

The NBA made this call on Tuesday at a press conference as the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, said he had set up the Special Weapons and Tactics Team that would replace the disbanded SARS.

The NBA president, Mr Olumide Akpata, listed some infamous SARS detention centres in the country such as Abuja’s “human abattoir” as well as the squad’s detention centres Port Harcourt and Lagos.

He said mere pronouncements of the disbandment of SARS would not put an end to protests against police brutality.

“As a mark of good faith, and good disclosure, it will be important for the police to throw open these centres just to convince us that not only has SARS been disbanded,  but also  that indeed its activities have been brought to an end”, he said.

Akpata therefore called for a comprehensive audit of all the detention centres of the disbanded squad in order to take stock of detainees.

He equally demanded that the public must see that culpable SARS operatives were either disciplined or prosecuted depending on the degrees of allegations established against them.

While warning security agents against attacking anti-SARS campaigners, he promised that the association would provide legal support for protesters and said that the association already had set up a platform, publicinterest@nigerianbar.org.ng for submission of complaints by members of the public.

The NBA president condemned any ban on protests saying that it is the “inalienable and fundamental right” of citizens and he encouraged government at all levels to protect that right.