By Maureen Ikpeama
Nigerian governors
have asked the Inspector General
of Police, Mohammed Adamu,to suspend his newly introduced police unit, the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT),
the new outfit unveiled this week as a
replacement for the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS).
The governors urged the IGP to consult further before going
ahead with the new plan.
Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi , said that the decision was
reached at a teleconference meeting with the IGP, on Wednesday.
The communique read in part: “The IGP informed the Forum
that after a psychological and medical evaluation, SWAT Officers will be
trained and posted to all State Commands – about 50 per state, where they will
operate only on intelligence-driven operation.
“They will not take part in routine operations but will
operate specifically on intelligence after which they will return to their
commands.
“The IGP assured Governors that he will leverage the
provisions of the new Police Act 2020 to carry out extensive reforms within the
Police and he pledged for the support, understanding and guidance of Governors
to embark on the new reforms.
“In response, the Forum acknowledged the concerns of many
Nigerians especially youths that have been affected by the excesses of some
officials of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and the Nigeria
Police;
“This notwithstanding, Forum members noted the efforts of
officials of FSARS in their states, as they have greatly assisted in containing
the increasing spate of kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, and other
high-end crimes particularly in the Northern States, where containing these
criminal activities would have otherwise been very challenging.
“Members, therefore, expressed concern about the sweeping
decision to scrap FSARS even while acknowledging the need to address its
excesses.
“After deliberation and extensive discussions, members
resolved as follows:
“Governors were unanimous in their support for the IGP and
endorsed his plan to carry out far-reaching reforms geared towards greater
effectiveness, accountability, and transparency; members called for increased
regularity in the meetings of the Nigeria Police Council in order for it to
effectively carry out its regulatory and supervisory roles as contained in the
Nigerian Constitution.
“On the IGP’s plans on SWAT, the Governors stated that even
though the effort might be necessary and in good faith, they argued that the
timing is inauspicious as the mood of the nation negates it and may understandably
be misinterpreted as a surreptitious move to dress FSARS in another garb.”
The governors also noted that the protests went beyond
asking for an end to SARS to include an improvement in governance across board.
The governors charged the police to fish out members of the disbanded police unit involved in acts of gross human rights violations and ensure that they answered for their crimes.
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