Governors of the 19 northern states of the Federation have rejected the disbandment of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Plateau State governor and chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, told State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Thursday, that the police unit has been useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.
“SARS is not made up of bad elements alone as it also includes personnel who are doing their work diligently,” he said.
Lalong said what is needed is the reformation of the unit to enable it to discharge its functions “optimally”.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, had on Sunday announced the disbandment of SARS following nationwide protests against alleged human rights violations by the operatives.
But the protests continued as the #EndSARS campaigners demand the prosecution of all officers named in cases of rights abuses.
The protests have spread across the country and have persisted for days.
However, while there is a strong momentum of the citizens’ action in the South of the country, there is a passive response in the northern region.
The police leadership has promised reforms, setting up a new unit named Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT).