The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has scrapped the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, following days of mass protests.
Cvil society groups and other members of the public have staged days of protests against brutality of the squad against members of the Nigerian public, many of whom were extra-judicially killed by the FSARS operatives.
The IGP in announcing the disbandment during a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon said the operatives would be redeployed to other police formations and commands.
At the briefing, the IGP said, “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 briefing was immediately followed by a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba.
The statement titled, ‘IGP Dissolves The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)’, partly reads: “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. “
The protests against the brutality and extra-judicial killings by SARS operatives nationwide have been both online and offline, with celebrities such Nollywood superstar Genevieve Nnaji adding their voices.
