Nigerian authorities on Sunday bowed to rising protests nationwide and banned a notorious Police unit, the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad
Mohammed Adamu Inspector-General of Police, announced the disbandment in a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon.
The announcement follows several days of nationwide protests against the unit that became notorious for its brutality, and extra-judicial killings.
The #EndSARS protesters called for the disbandment of the unit have besieged public places, including the Police Headquarters in Abuja, and vowed to sustain the campaign until the government accepted their demand.
Adamu said the operatives of the Unit would be redeployed to other police formations and commands.
The announcement came after days of online and offline protests against the brutality SARS operatives nationwide.
“The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force otherwise known as SARS is hereby dissolved in all the 36 State Police Commands and the Federal Capital Territory.”
In a follow-up briefing, Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said: “The IGP, while noting that the dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian people, observes that by this dissolution, all officers and men of the now-defunct Special Anti-robbery Squad are being redeployed with immediate effect.
“The IGP notes that the Force is not oblivious of the ever-present need to combat armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country which was before now the core mandate of the erstwhile Squad.”
