By EndSARS: IGP Bans Operatives From Conducting Stop And Search, Other Civil Matters
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Kpotun Idris mni has ordered that henceforth operatives of the Sppecial Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) will not be engaging in civil matters such as acting as Body Guards, delving into Land Matters, debt collection and also the popular ‘stop and search’.
The IGP’s ban on excessive activities of the operatives is coming at a time Nigerians on the social media have started a campaign under the banner of #EndSARS, #EndSARSBrutality and #EndPoliceBrutality. The campaign has been running for weeks on the social media sphere with individuals revealing their different ordeals in the hands of some Police officers and SARS operatives.
He made the announcement after an important meeting with SARS Commanders in Abuja on Friday. He also announced that the operatives will be answerable to the Deputy Inpector General of Police (Operations), Joshak Habila. He said Habila would now be acting as the SARS Strategic Commander in the country.
He also directed members of the unit to ONLY embark on operations with the permission of the Commissioner of Police in-charge of SARS in their respective Police Commands, saying they must wear official uniforms clearly showing their Identifications.
“You must operate in official uniform clearly marked for identification. I just want to warn you all here that any officer caught engaging in these activities will be dealt with accordingly.
“The Nigeria Police force under my leadership shall operate strictly guided by the human rights principles as enshrined in the United Nations charter on Human Rights.”
He mandated the IGP’s Monitoring Units and the X-Squad and other oversights unit of the Force to monitor the activities of the SARS.
The IGP noted that the establishment of the unit was due to activities of the men of the underworld.
He said as part of measures to check the unit, they would be solely mandated to confront only armed robbery cases and violent crimes in the country, Idris also said men deployed to SARS would undergo training, continuous assessment and psychometric test to determine their suitability or otherwise.
