Security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has advised Nigerians to brace up for upsurge in violent crimes such as armed robbery and kidnapping as a result of the disbandment of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) by the Federal Government.
Reacting to the disbandment by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, the President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON) said: “It behoves the police agency to quickly respond to the challenge of controlling violent crimes in the country.
“Violent criminals are aware that SARS has been scrapped. Since there was no orderly transition from one crime-combating agency to another, the terrorists and criminals will exploit the confusion during the interregnum to unleash mayhem on Nigerians.”
Given the probability of spike in violent crimes, the police agency must create a new elite unit dedicated to combating crime within seven days, to deny robbers and kidnappers the opportunity to slaughter innocent citizens.
According to him, Nigeria is already the third most terrorised country in the world, so it will be totally unacceptable for violent crimes to rise higher than current high levels.
“SARS or no SARS, the police must competently perform its constitutional duty,” he said.He called for comprehensive police reform to enable the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) fulfil its constitutional role of maintaining law and order. Ekhomu also urged periodic psychological testing of the major case squad officers to detect abusive tendencies before they are exhibited.
“The NPF must become a knowledge-led policing agency,” he added.
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