…says ‘we must stand by our national institutions’
Personal Assistant to the President on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, has blamed unnamed internet fraudsters for current groundswell of opposition against the operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Onochie said that the protests against FSARS operatives were coordinated by internet fraudsters.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was one of the prominent Nigerians who at the weekend voiced their opposition to the modus operandi of FSARS operatives, describing extrajudicial killings by the special police unit as disheartening.
Osinbajo had said, “The President and I have had discussions on this. He is very concerned about it. He wants to see reform.
“I am very concerned, in fact, very angry about what I see happening to young men and women who are arrested — in some cases maimed or killed by men of the police force.
“The arrest, maiming or killing of young people or anyone at all, is completely wrong. It is unlawful and illegal, and anyone involved in this act ought to be investigated and prosecuted.”
But Onochie said in a series of tweets that while there were a few bad eggs in the police, the protests against FSARS were orchestrated by Internet fraudsters.
She tweeted, “I have no doubt that there are some staff of SARS who are unprofessional in their dealings with the public the same way we have unprofessionalism in the army, mainstream police, customs, civil service, public service , traders, doctors, lawyers, journalists, teachers, pastors etc.
“But what is going on now is a coordinated attack by cyber criminals joined by unsuspecting innocent citizens. This is not the first time. We must stand by our national institutions while working to improve their effectiveness. That is not what patriotism is about. No sentiments.”