The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris has warned operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to desist from torture and extra-judicial killings of crime suspects.
Similarly, the IGP noted that no Police personnel all over the world has the right to kill crime suspects.
However, he urged SARS personnel to always respect the rights of every Nigerian, adding that it is the way they can change existing negative perception of the Force.
Speaking to the Commanders and other operatives of the squad from various state commands at the Force headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, IGP while making reference to the latest report by Amnesty International stated that policemen have a lot to do to correct the public perception that they do not follow due process in their operations.
He said: “You should respect the constitutional rights of every Nigerian. You don’t have the authority to take lives, you don’t have the authority to change a civil case to a criminal case, you don’t have right to torture suspects.”
He also warned against use of excessive force, and reckless use of firearms, which he said could cause public panic.
Idris also noted that the squad would undergo retraining and restructuring, adding that the civil society organisations would be involved in the overhauling process to contribute to the training programme.
The police chief stated that the squad would be an intelligence of the Force to assist with intelligence gathering, stressing that the SARS’ operation would henceforth be intelligence-based.
As part of measures to monitor their operation, the IGP also disclosed that operatives would be given new badges and attached to state Commissioners of Police, while those in Abuja and Lagos would be under the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations.
