The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed reports suggesting that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, ordered the outright disbandment of all tactical units across state commands.
In a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, the police described the reports as a misrepresentation of the IGP’s directive.
According to the police, some media outlets had claimed that the IGP directed the immediate dissolution of multiple tactical units nationwide. However, the force clarified that this interpretation is inaccurate.
“The attention of the Inspector-General of Police has been drawn to the above-captioned story recently circulated by some online media outlets.
“The publication stated that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, directed the immediate dissolution of multiple tactical units operating across state commands nationwide. This report is a misrepresentation of the IGP’s directives,” the statement read in part.
The police explained that while the IGP recognises public concerns surrounding the operations of tactical teams, he also acknowledges their critical role in crime-fighting.
“Having held command positions nationwide and witnessed tactical teams in action, the IGP values their contribution to crime-fighting. He is however uncomfortable with their proliferation, which drains Police Divisions and Posts of required manpower and brings issues that affect the Force’s integrity because of the excesses of the poorly supervised teams.
“To address these issues, the IGP directed the reduction of the tactical teams at Zonal and State Command levels to a maximum of five, and Area Command and Divisional levels to a maximum of three,” the police stated.
The force noted that this adjustment may be achieved through the merging or disbandment of existing teams, at the discretion of heads of formations.
It further clarified that the directive does not apply to state government-created outfits, including Lagos State’s Rapid Response Squad, Oyo State’s Special Response Squad (SRS), and Bayelsa State’s Operation DOO-AKPOR, as well as similar units across the country.
According to the police, the move is expected to free up personnel for deployment to police stations, thereby strengthening grassroots policing and addressing public complaints about the excesses of tactical teams.
