Buhari Directs IG, Solicitor General to Act on State Police Recommendation

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President Muhammadu Buhari Monday directed the Inspector-General of Police and Solicitor-General of the Federation to immediately act on the recommendation of the Presidential Panel on the Reform of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on the creation of states and local government police.
Buhari said the IG and the Solicitor General should come up with suggestions on the implementation of the recommendation.
The two, including Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice should meet to work out the modalities for the implementation, Buhari said while thanking the Commission.
The IG, Solicitor General were given three months to complete the assignment.
The President had also approved the recommendation for the dismissal of the 37 SARS operatives and prosecution of 24 other police officers.
The President equally approved the payment of 45 complainants and apologies to five others as recommended by the Commission.
The decision of the President followed the submission of the report of the National Human Rights Commission and Chairman Presidential Panel on SARS Reform led by the Executive Secretary, Anthony Ojukwu Monday.
Ojukwu said the Panel received 113 complaints of human rights violations and 33 memoranda on suggestions on how SARS could be reformed across the country.
According to him, “The Panel called for and received 113 complaints on alleged human rights violations from across the country and 22 memoranda on suggestions on how to reform and restructure SARS and the Nigeria Police in general. It sat in the six geopolitical zones of the country to afford complainants and the Police the opportunity to present and defend the allegations.
“At the end of its public hearing and having listened to complaints as well as defendants and their counsel, the Panel recommended thirty seven (37) Police ofﬁcers for dismissal from the force. Twenty four (24) were recommended for prosecution. The panel also directed the Inspector General of Police to unravel the identity of twenty two (22) ofﬁcers involved in the violation of the human rights of innocent Citizens. The police was directed to pay compensation of various sums in forty—ﬁve (45) complaints and tender public apologies in ﬁve (5) complaints and directed to obey court orders in ﬁve (5) matters. The Police was directed to immediately arrest and prosecute two (2) retired senior Police ofﬁcers found to have violated the rights of citizens (one for extra-judicial killing and the other for illegal takeover of Property of a suspect). The Panel also recovered two vehicles illegally auctioned by SARS Ofﬁcers and returned them to their owners”.