ENDSARS: FG bows under pressure, dissolves SARS

Day 6 of the nationwide protests to end the SARS unit of the Nigerian police force has seen the federal government bowing to pressure, and the unit declared dissolved October 11.

According to IGP Mohammed Adamu all the SARS department across the nation and Abuja will no longer exist.

“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,” said Adamu in a statement by FPRO DCP Frank Mba.

On the gap the dissolution now creates for combatting armed robbery, Adamu said 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.

A new policing arrangement will now come to address anticipated policing gaps.

“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,” the statement added.

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.”