A Nigerian man has allegedly been denied asylum in Canada after authorities discovered that he was formerly a member of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigerian Police Force.
This revelation was made in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) by a user who claimed to have personal knowledge of the case. According to the post, Canadian immigration authorities conducted a thorough investigation into the man’s background and questioned him extensively regarding his activities and past affiliations while in Nigeria.
During the screening process, Canadian officials reportedly uncovered the notorious reputation of the SARS unit, which was widely accused of human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and abuse of power before it was officially disbanded in 2020 following nationwide protests in Nigeria.
The X user wrote: “Canada refused the asylum application of someone I know because he was with the SARS unit of the Nigerian Police before he traveled. They said the unit was known for killings and human rights violations.”
Following the post, the topic quickly gained traction on social media, sparking a range of reactions from Nigerians who weighed in on the matter.
See some reactions below:
@justkency: “I know someone, a former SARS policeman, who was deported. He is back in Nigeria. Left for Canada with his wife, returned alone. Wife Don waka – true life story.”
@MaziAwkaetiti: “I think this is similar to a recent story of a Nigerian policeman who got deported or refused asylum. I saw the post somewhere earlier this week.”
@SimoncoleB: “As it should be. More focus on Nigeria now by the rest of the world.”
@IamEriOluwa: “They do it for all the armed forces in Nigeria. Awon Canadians n binu gan o.”
@Ishow_leck: “This will definitely traumatize him. Lol. It’s God’s payback.”
@ChukwunyeluOrji: “Why is he seeking asylum in Canada? Is Nigeria fighting a war? Is his life in danger? The last time I checked, there is a very low rate of unemployment in Nigeria and inflation is very down. Why is he running away from a chaos he helped create??”
@Dharmmie001: “Why is he also requesting asylum, on what basis?”
@osifekomark: “Canada that has a list of all confraternities in Nigeria, their insignias, and how they operate won’t know SARS? These countries know us more than ourselves.”
@ChiefiKORO: “The world is keenly watching human rights violations in Nigeria. Thanks to social media.”
@LKuntra: “The fact that most governments didn’t interfere or talk about #EndSARS (jurisdiction issues) didn’t mean they didn’t see what happened. They’re aware, they’re just busy trying to preserve their national interests. But they’re aware.”
@Great_Eki: “We need more consequences like this extended to politicians.”
SEE POST:
