The Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Muhammad, has dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the Nigeria Police Force, after days of protests by youths calling for outright scrapping of the unit over alleged brutality and killings of innocent Nigerians.
This is coming as he also disclosed that officers attached to the unit nationwide would be redeployed to other police formations and commands across the country in line with demands by Nigerians protesting extra-judicial killings by SARS operatives.
The police boss explained that dissolution which takes immediate effect would be done across the 36 State Police Commands and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where they hitherto existed in response to yearnings of the Nigerian people.
Through a statement on Sunday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, Muhammad said that the force would announced new policing arrangement to address gaps SARS dissolution would cause in no distant future.
This, he said, was needed to combat armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country which remains mandate of the dissolved unit.
“Meanwhile, as part of measures to prevent a re-occurrence of events that gave rise to the dissolution of SARS, a Citizens’ and Strategic Stakeholders’ Forum is being formed to regularly interface with Police leadership at all levels and advise on police activities as they affect the general public.
“In addition, the force is constituting an Investigation Team which shall include Civil Society Organizations and Human Rights Bodies to work with the Police in investigating alleged cases of human rights violations. The measure, the IGP believes, will enhance transparency and accountability in police services as well as providing a system of deterrence for erring police officers whose action clearly violates the rights of the citizenry.
“The IGP appreciates and commends all citizens particularly those who genuinely express their concerns for a better policing orientation in an organized, patriotic and civil manner. He reaffirms the determination of the Force to bequeath to the country a Police Force and System that is professional in service delivery and most importantly, accountable to the people,” the statement said.
