The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has called on the #EndSARS campaigners to work with the police to evolve a suitable and effective policing template to tackle armed robbery and other violent crimes in the country.
The Inspector General of Police in response to protests to end police brutality last week announced the dissolution of the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad (F-SARS).
In a statement yesterday, the Director General of the Agency, Dr. Garba Abari also commended the Police authorities for yielding to the call of the mass for reform of the Police.
The statement which was signed by Mr. Paul Odenyi, Assistant Director, Press, reads: “Now that SARS has been dissolved, the next necessary step should be for campaigners to engage constructively with the police to birth a more responsible alternative to SARS, rather than being confrontational. While urging the police to bring to justice all of its officers involved in the reckless and unethical actions that has led to loss of lives and dignity by Nigerians, the campaigners should also not allow themselves to be used by political elements to pursue other interests.
“We must be careful not to denigrate our Police Force to the extent that it gets disempowered in the face of manifest security challenges, especially given the fact that we are witnessing increased cases of insecurity like armed robbery, kidnapping, insurgency and terrorism which require a specialized Force to confront them. We need a Police Force that is civil, obedient to the rule of law but can also bite in order to make impact on the war against vices.”
