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The Nigeria Police Force has refuted reports claiming that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, ordered the complete disbandment of all tactical units across state commands.
In a statement released by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, the police described the reports as a misinterpretation of the IGP’s directive.
According to the force, some media organisations had reported that the IGP instructed the immediate dissolution of several tactical units nationwide. However, the police clarified that such claims are 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 acknowledges public concerns regarding the operations of tactical teams, he also recognises their vital role in combating crime.
“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 could be implemented through the merging or disbandment of existing units, at the discretion of heads of formations.
It further clarified that the directive does not extend to state government-established 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 nationwide.
According to the police, the measure is intended to release personnel for deployment to police stations, thereby strengthening grassroots policing and addressing public concerns over the excesses of tactical teams.
