Nigeria Police replaces disbanded SARS with SWAT

By Olikita Ekani
Flabbergasted by massive protests nationwide for further reform of the Nigerian police by protesters despite the scrapping of SARS, the Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mohammed Adamu, has set up a new Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to fill the gap created by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) dissolution.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Frank Mba, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Recall that the country has been rocked by protests by irate youth against the brutality of the notorious police unit (SARS) in recent days. The protest has led to the deaths of at least 10 persons.
Despite the disbandment of the unit, submission of demands by the protesters, and the promise of extensive reforms by President Muhammadu Buhari and the police hierarchy, protesters have refused to leave the streets.
Mr Mba said prospective members of the new team would undergo a psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the new assignment and will commence training at the different police tactical training institutions nationwide, next week.
Giving the breakdown of their scheduled trainings, Mr Mba said, Personnel from the Police Commands in the South-east and the South-south would be trained at the Counter-Terrorism College, Nonwa-Tai, Rivers.
He added that those from the Police Commands from the North and the South-west would be trained at the Police Mobile Force Training College, Ende, Nasarawa State and the Police Mobile Force Training College, Ila-Orangun, Osun, respectively.
Mr Mba said the I-G had ordered personnel of the defunct SARS to report at the Force Headquarters for debriefing, psychological and medical examination.