Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), has banned operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), the Special Tactical S
Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), has banned operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), the Special Tactical Squad (STS) and Intelligence Response Team (IRT) from undertaking routine patrols as well as stop and search duties.
The directive is coming in the wake of an outrage over alleged criminal and extra-judicial actions of FSARS officers against citizens in various parts of the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Frank Mba, police spokesman said the IGP also directed that no officer should embark on a patrol in mufti.
“The inspector-general of police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has banned the personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other Tactical Squads of the Force including the Special Tactical Squad (STS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Anti-Cultism Squad and other Tactical Squads operating at the Federal, Zonal and Command levels, from carrying out routine patrols and other conventional low-risk duties – stop and search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks, etc – with immediate effect,” he said.
“The IGP has warned the Tactical Squads against the invasion of the privacy of citizens particularly through indiscriminate and unauthorized search of mobile phones, laptops and other smart devices. They are to concentrate and respond only to cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes when the need arises.
“He however condemns every act of unprofessionalism, abuse of human rights and high-handedness by some personnel of the Squads,” the force public relations officer said.
“He has therefore ordered the X-Squad and the Monitoring Unit to embark on immediate and massive nationwide monitoring of activities of Tactical Squads and other police officers on the road. They are to ensure prompt arrest, investigation and prosecution of all erring police officers who violate these directives and other extant regulations of the Force.
“The IGP has equally warned that henceforth, the Commissioner of Police in charge of FSARS, Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands and the FCT as well as their supervisory Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police, will be held liable for any misconduct within their Area of Responsibility (AOR).”
The police spokesman said two FSARS officers and one civilian accomplice have been arrested in Lagos for professional misconduct.
“Two operatives of the FSARS and their civilian accomplice operating in Lagos State, INSPR Sale James, INSPR Monday Uchiola and Okechukwu Ogbonna, have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, for acts of professional misconduct including extortion and intimidation of innocent citizens. The operational vehicle of the men has also been impounded and disciplinary procedure has already commenced against the defaulters,” he said.
But this is not the first time the police would be responding to protests against this squad Nigerians accuse of brutality, extortion and human rights abuses. In September 2018, following an outcry over SARS brutality, Ibrahim Idris, the then IGP, issued a similar directive.
Earlier in August 2018, then Acting-President Yemi Osinbajo directed Idris to overhaul SARs. Following the directive, Idris renamed the police outfit federal SARS (FSARS) and ordered operatives to go for psychiatric evaluation. He also ordered operatives to wear uniforms with identification tags. Sadly. two years later, it appears nothing has changed, and again, the police boss is repeating the same directive.
