BREAKING: IGP orders immediate disbandment of SARS

The new Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Ahmed has ordered the immediate disbandment of the Special Anti Robbery Squad(SARS).

A media aide to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmad announced this via a tweet this afternoon. 

The tweet read:

“The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed A. Adamu has ordered the immediate disbandment of the Federal SARS, Special Investigation Panel and Special Tactical Squad. Details @PoliceNG,” 

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Recall, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo had called for an overhaul of SARS in 2018,  which led to the following changes:

1. The unit will now be known as Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS). “All SARS teams nationwide have been collapsed under FSARS,” read the statement.

2. A new Commissioner of Police has been appointed as the overall head of FSARS nationwide. The Commissioner of Police (FSARS) is answerable to the Inspector General of Police through the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations.

3. The FSARS, previously under the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (FCIID), is henceforth to operate under the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters Abuja.

4. As directed by Osinbajo, the FSARS will be intelligence-driven and will be restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery, kidnapping and the apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences only.

5. New FSARS Commanders will be appointed across the country and operate in the State and Zonal Commands under the Commissioner of Police (F-SARS) at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. A Federal SARS Commander of a Rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) but not below Superintendent of Police (SP) will be in charge of FSARS in State and Zonal Commands across the Country.

6. There will be Human Rights Desk Officers for FSARS in every State to take complaints from the public and forward same to Force Headquarters, the officer will be answerable to the Commissioner of Police (FSARS) at the Force Headquarters and not Commander FSARS in the States.

7. Medical/psychological evaluation of all FSARS personnel will be carried out immediately.

8. Redesigning of new uniform with identity name tags for all FSARS personnel throughout the country will be done immediately.

9. FSARS personnel will not perform Stop and Search duties except on distress call to respond to armed robbery and kidnapping offences only.

However the IGP however wants the squad disbanded this time around.

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