By Williams Anuku, Abuja
The Inspector-General of Police Muhammed Adamu has announced the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) following mass protests across the country against the brutal police unit.
Adamu announced the dissolution Sunday afternoon, directing that all officers serving within the unit are to be redeployed with immediate effect.
The IPG stated that the Force was 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.
He assured that a new policing arrangement to address anticipated policing gaps the dissolution of SARS would cause has been evolved and shall be announced in due course.
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, he disclosed that 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.