I received a couple of petitions against SARS while in office ― Okiro

FORMER Inspector General of Police (IGP) and immediate past Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), Mr. Mike Okiro, on Thursday, disclosed that he received a couple of petitions against Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) over a number of alleged atrocities committed by some of its members while in office as chairman of the commission.

Mr. Okiro, who established the squad when he was an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Lagos State in years back, explained that the major concept of establishing it then was to engage notorious armed robbers, car thefts and bank robbery, lamenting that the squad has derailed, engaging in land issues and family affairs.

He made this disclosure while featuring on a Focus Nigeria: Reforming, Decentralising Nigeria Police, a live programme of the Africa Independent Television (AIT).

According to him, these SARS people were trained to fight robbers not for investigations, they were trained to respond and confront robbers.

They could be in their office and carry their rifle to face robbers. Sometimes if there is any information about the robbery they can go and wait for robbers there.

“In those days, you have to be a hard policeman, be a good shooter before you could join SARS, but now some of them will come and say I want to go to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. Some police officers lobby to go to SARS now.

In those days, they had a special training. They are trained to confront robbers, shoot and wound and if possible kill robbers during the operations.

“We got it profusely. In a situation where SARS now involved in some cases that are not meant for them, it is really horrible because I used to move on the road too.

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We saw some people carrying AK 47 with a T-shirt, jean trouser and face cap in a roadblock, I don’t know what to say whether they are policemen or armed robbers I wouldn’t know.

“It is really horrible and more so, you found out that SARS have derailed from the reasons why they were created, they get involved in lands’ problem, family affairs and business issues and that shouldn’t be because they are embarrassing the institution. People do no longer fear SARS.

“I received a couple of petitions against SARS while in office and I passed it to Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate them, some were investigated and passed to us and we took proper action on that.” He explained.

On the recent outburst by Nigerians and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) calling for the immediate scrapping of the squad, the former IGP said: “if you end SARS you are creating criminality again.

Let the government set up a committee and know the concept of SARS. To find out how they can be made to go back to what they are supposed to do and if the government feels the original concept of SARS is not proper, if my own idea in that time is not strong they can bring a better idea but they should not jettison that idea because SARS has derailed.”