BENIN CITY- Some residents in Benin City have expressed divergent views over the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a special anti criminal unit under the Nigeria Police.
Recall that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, on Sunday announced the immediate disbandment of all SARS formation in the country following wide public outcry in condemnation of alleged extra judicial killings of some innocent citizens especially youths and extortionist despondencies of men of the SARS unit.
Speaking with The NIGERIAN OBSERVER on the issue yesterday in Benin City, some of the respondents commended the IGP for the dissolution especially as they opined that the pronouncement was long overdue.
While others expressed different opinions about the disbandment of the SARS, maintaining that such decision from the police Chief would exposed the people to unmitigated criminal activities of the daredevils, just as others tagged the end SARS protest as misplaced priority as there are more important issues begging for attention in Nigeria.
Mr. Titus Akhigbe said: “It is a welcome development especially as many Nigerians protested against the nefarious activities of some men of the defunct SARS.
“But my fear is that this pronouncement of IGP might increase the rate of criminal activities in the country if alternative security unit to combat robbery especially on our Highways is not introduced”
According to Mr. Ozioruva Aliu, the dissolution of SARS by the leadership of the Nigeria Police is good and at the same time not good.” It is good because their excesses was becoming unbearable as innocent Nigerians were been victimized by the men of SARS. So, to that extent the action is a welcome development.
” But on the order hand we have to be careful because it is also an opportunity for the bad heads in society to capitalize on this pronouncement. The protest to end SARS which was aimed at expressing the people’s anger against SARS was hijacked by suspected criminals.
” What I think the police should quickly do is to reorganized, re-form and retrain the personnel so as to conform with the brain behind the establishment”.
However Mr Francis Ogbuagu, differed in his reaction saying that ” the disbandment of the Special unit was a misplaced priority especially as it is not an end to criminality in the country.
” Disbandment of SARS does not portray any good to the society rather ,what should have been done was to re-form the special squad.
” In fact, there are more serious issues that need general protest like hike in electricity tariff, fuel price rather, they left this unattended to.
In their separate responses, Nurudeen Hassan, Solomon Obazunya, Paul Iduonze and Daniel Ayemere also lauded the disbandment of SARS, stressing that the people should be wary of one thing which is “the society should not be allowed to be taken over criminal elements, hence the need for alternative Special Anti-Robbery Unit”.
There should be proper Reformation of the police so that the society can better for it. The Government should come out with well-defined police and the police unit that will fool their job professionally and constitutionally”, Nurudeen said.
“Disbandment of SARS is not the best option to me, but Reformation of their roles with constitutional backings would have been the best option. Wether good or bad, SARS were still providing security for the country”, Solomon posited.
