Naira Marley to lead protests against Nigeria's 'rogue' police

Nigerian rapper rapper Azeez Fashola, better known by his stage name Naira Marley, will on Tuesday morning lead a protest against a notorious unit in the police force.

The Special Anti Robbery Squad (Sars) has been accused of atrocities against innocent civilians and routine harassment.

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Sunday banned the unit from carrying out stop and search duties and setting up roadblocks.

The hashtag #EndSARS had been trending on Twitter, triggered by the alleged killing of a young man by officers from the unit in the city of Lagos on Saturday.

Naira Marley tweeted that the "peaceful protest" in the commercial capital, Lagos, will start at 09:00 local time:

“So 9am tomorrow we move 2nd toll gate Peaceful protest No vandalism, no fights and no stealing.”

Minister of Youth, Sunday Dare, has urged the musician not to hold the protest because "your grievances are being addressed at the highest level of government".

"As the minister in charge of youth I know this is an issue that must be tackled. Government is doing just that," he tweeted.

But the musician responded that there were no assurances from government that it was acting to end brutality by the police unit.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Getty Images

Blessing Mwangi