BY TAIWO FAROTIMI
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has directed Ibrahim Idris, the inspector general of police to take immediate steps to overhaul the controversial special anti-robbery squad , SARS. The acting president, in a statement by Laolu Akande, his special adviser on media and publicity, said this is a response to the incessant complaints on activities of the police unit.
The acting president also instructed Mr. Idris to ensure that whatever unit will emerge from the overhaul should be “intelligence-driven & restricted to the prevention & detection of armed robbery & kidnapping, & apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences”.
In addition to that, Professor Osinbajo also wants operatives of the new unit to bear proper identification while on duty and also respect the rule of law and human rights.
There have been outcry over activities of some operatives of SARS who deal with alleged suspects without regards to the principle of human rights. Some are also said to have been caught extorting innocent Nigerians.
Some time ago there was a campaign for the end of SARS, a unit that started on a noble course to fight crime across the country. The response to it was a demonstration to counter the calls for end of SARS by some persons. SARS was set up some years ago to fight crimes like robbery and kidnapping in certain parts of the country. The impact at the beginning was impressive, as there was a drop in cases of robbery. But a few years back cases of abuse were reported with people being arrested, tortured and detained sometimes for civil cases that could have been handled by the regular police.
In response to the nationwide campaign for end of SARS, Mr. Idris said recently that he had set up a panel to investigate the allegations against the unit. He also said he given permission to the National Human Rights Commission to probe into the activities of the unit with a purpose to giving a report on the way forward.
