By Pascal Oparada (Social Media/Tech Reporter)
The disbandment of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) is not a piece of cheery news after all, going by the concerns raised by the man who campaigned for the scrapping of the unit, Segun Awosanya, popularly known as Segalink.
The Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had earlier today announced that the SARS will now be domiciled under the direct supervision of the Commissioners of Police in the 36 states.
Segalink said the new directive will take activists who have canvassed for the scrapping of the unit back to the dark days of the SARS.
He kicked against the move and said it would fuel corruption and increase brutality since the commissioners of police would use them to hound innocent citizens.
“This rearrangement is just going to fuel corruption and lure the Commissioners of police into deploying SARS as political party Thugs. The stopgap worked because the Commissioners don’t control SARS,” Segalink said via his Twitter handle.
“With this order, they’ll amplify the impunity they’re executing via the Police with their control of SARS. This is yet another setback in my own opinion. The negative impact of this will be felt in a matter of days.#EndSARS Objective may return”
He also called the move a Trojan Horse and said Nigerians will now see an increase in abduction for ransom by policemen ordered by the commissioners of police who now have control of the police unit.
“Same folks ordering Policemen to abduct your wards for ransom,” He said, noting that they have more powers now. This will not stand.
He doubts the ability of SARS responding strictly to distress calls as was the case before the disbandment.
Segalink and a group of activists were at the forefront campaigning for either outright scrapping of the unit or reform in the police.
He was drafted to work with the committee set by the last IGP, Ibrahim Idris, to thinker with the operations of the SARS.
According to him, there were already progress and this new directive might reverse that.