The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, has banned personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other tactical squads of the Nigeria Police Force from carrying out routine patrols and other conventional low-risk duties such as stop and search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks, etc, with immediate effect.
In addition to the ban, no personnel of the Nigeria Police Force is authorized to embark on patrols or tactical assignments while wearing mufti.
IGP also warned all Tactical Squads of the Nigeria Police Force including FSARS, Special Tactical Squad (STS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Anti-Cultism Squad, etc., against the invasion of the privacy of citizens particularly through the indiscriminate and unauthorized search of mobile phones, laptops and other smart devices.
The Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu said the squads are to concentrate and respond only to cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes when the need arises.
IGP Adamu condemns every act of unprofessionalism, abuse of human rights and high-handedness perpetrated by some personnel of the Squads. He has therefore ordered the X-Squad and the Monitoring Unit to embark on immediate and massive nationwide monitoring of activities of Tactical Squads and other police officers on the road.
The monitoring unit of the Nigeria Police Force is to ensure the prompt arrest, investigation and prosecution of all erring police officers who violate these directives and other extant regulations of the Force.
The team arrested two FSARS operatives and one civilian accomplice in Lagos State today, October 4, 2020 for harassing an innocent citizen.
