The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed reports claiming that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, ordered the complete disbandment of tactical units across state commands.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, the police said such reports misrepresented the directive issued by the IGP.
According to the statement, some media outlets had suggested that the police chief ordered the immediate dissolution of several tactical teams nationwide. The force, however, clarified that the interpretation was inaccurate.
“The attention of the Inspector-General of Police has been drawn to the above-captioned story recently circulated by some online media outlets.
“The publication stated that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, directed the immediate dissolution of multiple tactical units operating across state commands nationwide. This report is a misrepresentation of the IGP’s directives,” the statement read in part.
Directive Aimed At Reducing Teams
The police explained that while the IGP recognises public concerns about the activities of tactical teams, he also acknowledges their importance in combating crime.
“Having held command positions nationwide and witnessed tactical teams in action, the IGP values their contribution to crime-fighting. He is however uncomfortable with their proliferation, which drains Police Divisions and Posts of required manpower and brings issues that affect the Force’s integrity because of the excesses of the poorly supervised teams.
“To address these issues, the IGP directed the reduction of the tactical teams at Zonal and State Command levels to a maximum of five, and Area Command and Divisional levels to a maximum of three,” the police stated.
The force added that the restructuring could involve merging or disbanding some existing teams, depending on decisions taken by heads of formations.
Some Units Not Affected
The police further clarified that the directive does not apply to security outfits created by state governments. These include Lagos State’s Rapid Response Squad, Oyo State’s Special Response Squad (SRS), and Bayelsa State’s Operation DOO-AKPOR, as well as similar units nationwide.
According to the force, the move is intended to free up more personnel for deployment to police stations, strengthen grassroots policing, and address public complaints about the excesses of tactical teams.
