SWAT is ill-timed, say governors

…demand prosecution of FSARS officer, compensation of victims

The governors of the 36 states have said the introduction of Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) by the Inspector-general of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, is ill-timed.

The governors said the hurried manner the SWAT was introduced to replace the disbanded Federal -Special Anti-robbery Squad (F-SARS) could be easily misinterpreted by Nigerians.

According to them, there is the need for the IGP to convene a stakeholders’ forum for inputs into the police reform as states’ security peculiarities vary.

The governors stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) meeting held Wednesday night in Abuja and attended by the IGP.

They also called for a review of remuneration of the police to stimulate enhanced performance.

The Forum acknowledged the concerns of many Nigerians especially youths that had been affected by the excesses of some officials of the FSARS and the Nigeria Police.

It, however, noted that the efforts of officials of FSARS in their states had greatly assisted in containing the increasing spate of kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, and other high end crimes particularly in the Northern states, where containing these criminal activities would have otherwise been very challenging.

The Forum, therefore, expressed concern about the sweeping decision to scrap FSARS even while acknowledging the need to address its excesses.

Governors urged the IGP to be ready to forge stronger partnerships with state governments and the civil society to improve civil relations between the Nigeria Police and the general public.

It also agreed that the concerns of the public went beyond a need for police/ FSARS reforms and included a demand for better governance;

The communiqué reads in part, “Governors were unanimous in their support for the IGP and endorsed his plan to carry out far-reaching reforms geared towards greater effectiveness, accountability and transparency.