Governors of the 19 northern states have kicked against the disbandment of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), insisting the unit is useful in the fight against armed robbery and other violent crimes in the region.
The Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu was compelled to disband the unit on Sunday, following the national wide protests and call for its scrapping over allegations of human rights violations, corruption and sundry unethical practices.
However, Governor of Plateau State cum Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, told State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Thursday that the police unit has been useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.
He said: “SARS is not made up of bad elements alone as it also includes personnel who are doing their work diligently.”
According to Lalong, rather than disband the unit, what police authorities should do was to reform it to be able to discharge its functions “optimally”.
The protests, which have spread to most Nigerian States, continued on Thursday despite the federal government meeting their five point demand and establishment of a new unit – Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) to replace the SARS.