Canadian authorities have denied the asylum application of a Nigerian man named Olushola Wazzi Popoola due to his involvement with the notorious anti-robbery unity of the Nigerian police called SARS.
Mr Olushola Popoola was a SARS officer in Lagos between 2009 and 2011. He travelled to the United States in 2016 after leaving the police force in 2015.
From the United States, he crossed to Canada where claimed refugee status and filed an application for asylum.
However, his application was denied by the Canadian authorities, stating there were “reasonable grounds to believe that he engaged in crimes against humanity while serving as a police officer in Nigeria.”
“The SARS, in particular, is singled out in the documentary evidence as one of the most brutal units of the Force,” a part of the ID statement read.
Canada’s position on the issue has been praised by many Nigerians who took to social media to express their feelings.
One person wrote:
“For Those who Think #EndSARS protest did us no good, take a look at this! Yaaaaaaaaaay! You go nowhere Mr SARS man.”
