Governors of the 19 northern states in Nigeria have expressed disaproval over the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), even as protests continue around the country, against perceived excesses of the unit.
SARS, a special unit of the Nigeria Police, was created to combat armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country. The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu however disbanded the unit on Sunday in response to the agitations of young Nigerians, who have sustained protests across the country since Wednesday last week.
Despite the disbandment, the protests continued as the #EndSARS campaigners demanded the prosecution of all officers named in cases of rights abuses.
They also called on government to ensure the release and compensation of victims of SARS operatives, some of whom the alleged are being detailed around the country.
However, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, while speaking with State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, said the police unit waa useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.
Lalong, who is also the Governor of Plateau State, said: “SARS is not made up of bad elements alone as it also includes personnel who are doing their work diligently,” he said.
According to Lalong, what is needed is the reformation of the unit to enable it discharge its functions “optimally”.
It is still unclear if this is a general opinion of all governors in that region, as one or two of them had earlier identifies with the protesters and their agitations.
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