Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has announced the disbandment of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force.
Adamu told a news conference on Sunday in Abuja that the operatives would be redeployed to other police formations and commands.
The announcement is coming after days of nationwide protests by Nigerian youths and the killing of a protesters, Jimoh Isiaka, on Saturday in Ogbomoso in Oyo State in South-western Nigeria.
The youths, who continued their protests on Sunday, are demanding for the scrapping of the notorious police unit, despite the appeal for calm on Friday by President Muhammadu Buhari after he summoned the Police boss on the matter and assured the youths that SARS would be reformed.
The youths have been protesting against the extortion, harassment, brutality and extra-judicial killings by SARS operatives nationwide.
“The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force otherwise known as SARS is hereby dissolved in all the 36 State Police Commands and the Federal Capital Territory,” the IGP said.
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, has said that the IGP has dissolves the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“The IGP, while noting that the dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian people, observes that by this dissolution, all officers and men of the now-defunct Special Anti-robbery Squad are being redeployed with immediate effect.
“The IGP notes that the Force is not oblivious of the ever-present need to combat armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country which was before now the core mandate of the erstwhile Squad,” Mba said in the statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Earlier on Friday, Buhari assured the protesting youths after his meeting with the police boss that “the IGP already has my firm instructions to conclusively address the concerns of Nigerians regarding these excesses, and ensure that erring personnel are brought to justice.”
“I appeal for patience and calm, even as Nigerians freely exercise their right to peacefully make their views known.
“I met again with the IGP tonight. Our determination to reform the police should never be in doubt. I am being briefed regularly on the reform efforts ongoing to end police brutality and unethical conduct, and ensure that the Police are fully accountable to the people.
“The vast majority of men and women of the Nigeria Police Force are patriotic and committed to protecting the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians, and we will continue to support them to do their job.”
The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police force was set up to tackle robbery and crimes related to armed robbery within the country, but the unit has for quite a while been overreaching in its operations across the nation.
Over the years, the unit has turned itself into some form of anti-graft agency, harassing many young Nigerians, especially men who spot dreadlocks and other forms of fancy head styles.
The encounters between men of the SARS unit and the civilian populace, especially the youths have often ended in infringements of rights and a show of lawlessness on the part of the police officers, who swore to uphold the law and protect the citizens of Nigeria.
GIK/APA