A former member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Olushola Popoola has reportedly been denied asylum in Canada over some activities he engaged in as a member of the controversial disbanded Nigerian police unit.
It was gathered that Popoola completed his training and became a member of the Nigerian Police Force in 2002. From 2002 to 2005, he was a member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad [SARS] in Abuja. He was then transferred to the anti-robbery unit (not to be confused with the SARS) in Lagos until 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he returned to the SARS, this time in Lagos. His resignation was accepted by the Nigerian Police Force in 2015 after the death of his father.
Popoola sued the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, as the sole defendant at the Federal Canadian Court in Ottawa, Ontario.
But dismissing the suit, the court ruled that the Immigration Department had found him to be inadmissible to Canada “because there are reasonable grounds to believe that he engaged in crimes against humanity while serving as a police officer in Nigeria.”
“He now seeks judicial review of his determination of inadmissibility. I am dismissing his application, because the decision-maker reasonably assessed the relevant factors for deciding whether Mr. Popoola made a knowing and significant contribution to the crimes committed by the Nigerian Police Force,” the judge added