President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday directed the inspector-general of police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu to dissolve the dreaded police formation, Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).
The SARS, a police unit, has been accused of extortion, intimidation, and murder of many young Nigerians.
The dissolution is coming on the hills of the #EndSARS protest nationwide.
Adamu who announced the dissolution of SARS in a live broadcast said the operatives will be redeployed to other police formations and commands.
“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.
“All officers and men currently serving in the unit are to be redeployed with immediate effect.
“The police authorities will be announcing new policing arrangements to address the offences of armed robbery and other violent crimes that fall within the mandate of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad later,” he said.
Beyond scrapping the unit, he acknowledged reports of extortion and brutality, announcing a plan for an investigation.
“To deal with the reports of crimes committed against citizens an investigation team will be constituted which will include civil society organisations for transparency and the culprits will be punished,” he added.
Later in a statement, entitled ‘IGP dissolves the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)’, spokesman for the Nigeria police Force, Mr. Frank Mba said: “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.”
