Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, has directed the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to, with immediate effect, overhaul the management and activities of Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

Osinbajo’s directive followed persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad that bordered on allegations of human rights violations.

Any unit that will emerge from the process, he said, should be intelligence-driven and restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery and kidnapping, and apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences.

Osinbajo instructed the IGP to ensure that any unit that emerges from the overhaul is intelligence-driven, restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery, kidnapping, apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences, and nothing more.

The Acting President also directed the IGP to ensure that all operatives in the emerging unit “conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and due regard to International Human Rights Law and the constitutionally guaranteed rights of suspects.

“The operatives should also bear proper identification anytime they are on duty,” he added.

Also, Osinbajo ordered the National Human Rights Commission to set up a Special Panel that will conduct an investigation into the alleged unlawful activities of SARS.

He said the panel would afford members of the public the opportunity to present their grievances and get justice.

Read the full statement below:

Following persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that border on allegations of human rights violations, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to, with immediate effect, overhaul the management and activities of SARS and ensure that any Unit that will emerge from the process, will be intelligence-driven and restricted to the prevention and detection of armed robbery and kidnapping, and apprehension of offenders linked to the stated offences, and nothing more.

The Acting President has also directed the IGP to ensure that all operatives in the emerging Unit conduct their operations in strict adherence to the rule of law and with due regard to International Human Rights Law and the constitutionally guaranteed rights of suspects. The operatives should also bear proper identification anytime they are on duty.

In the meantime, the Acting President has directed the National Human Rights Commission to set up a Special Panel that will conduct an investigation of the alleged unlawful activities of SARS in order to afford members of the general public the opportunity to present their grievances with a view to ensuring redress.