The Nigeria Police force has announced plans to conduct psychiatric tests on officials of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS as part of the planned reformation of the crime fighting unit.
The Police revealed that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operation, Joshak Habila, met with various SARS commanders at the force headquarters to discuss plans to carry out the tests.
Read: #EndSars: SARS Operatives Transfer En-mass Out of Lagos Command
He further used the opportunity to properly inform the SARS commanders about the planned overhaul and renaming of the crime fighting unit to Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad or FSARS.
The DIG who also doubles as the head of the overhaul committee set up by the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, also informed the commanders about the new working operational guidelines while emphasizing the need for all SARS personnel to comply strictly with the new rules or face severe sanctions.
The IGP X-squad based in Lagos has started the enforcement of the new directives on the reformation of SARS according to the Police DIG.
The news was also confirmed in a series of tweets by the Head of the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Abayomi Shogunle, where he stated that the Force would carry out psychiatric tests on all SARS personnel across the country.
He also revealed through his tweets, that the FSARS committee would also start to visit all SARS holding cells across the country in order to decongest them.
“The Overhaul FSARS Committee will commence immediate visit to decongest SARS cells nationwide. FSARS will only handle armed robbery and kidnap cases. Only competent officers will remain as commanders in new F SARS.
Those not measuring up to the acceptable standard will be redeployed and new courageous officers will be posted as replacements. Many of the personnel inherited will be posted out of FSARS.” Mr. Shogunle tweeted.
This series of measures is in reaction to the immediate restructuring of the crime fighting unit of the Police as ordered by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo following public outcry from local and international human rights organisation regarding the excesses of the crime fighting unit.
Many SARS personnel particularly in Lagos have expressed their inability to cope with the new directives and about 140 of them have requested for transfers out of the unit.