Northern Governors Kick Against SARS Disbandment

By Andrea Samuel

Governors of the 19 northern states in Nigeria have kicked against the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, while speaking with State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, said the police unit was useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.

Lalong, who is also the Governor of Plateau State, maintained that “SARS is not made up of bad elements alone as it also includes personnel who are doing their work diligently,

According to Lalong, what is needed is the reformation of the unit to enable it discharge its functions “optimally”.

SARS is a special unit of the Nigeria Police, created to combat armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country.

Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, after the disbandment, announced the creation is SWAT, in response to the agitations of young Nigerians who have sustained protests across the country since Wednesday last week.

Despite the disbandment, the protests have continued as the #EndSARS campaigners demanded the prosecution of all officers named in cases of rights abuses.

They also called on the government to ensure the release and compensation of victims of SARS operatives, some of whom they alleged are being detained around the country.