ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has initiated the Special Intervention Squad in the Federal Capital Territory to combat the rising incidents of kidnappings and banditry, particularly in border towns within the region.
The squad, tasked with patrolling and securing communities along FCT borders, aims to swiftly intervene in and mitigate violent attacks within the nation’s capital.
The deployment of 40,000 specially trained operatives, starting with Katsina and nine other states, including the FCT, was disclosed by the Nigeria Police Force in late 2023.
Furthermore, the proposed commanders for the squad are set to undergo training in Mexico, with the deployment to the selected states serving as a pilot for the Special Intervention Squad’s activities.
In a recent development, Egbetokun emphasized the establishment of the SIS as a pivotal project in his administration’s commitment to combating violent crime in the country.
Contrary to the notorious Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, clarified in an exclusive interview that the Special Intervention Squad would not engage in human rights abuses.
Adejobi emphasized that the SIS operatives, drawn from various units, would not be involved in escort duties and would operate under the command of Commissioners of Police in their respective states.
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Adejobi stated that the SIS is not SARS. According to him, SIS is a very different squad, and the Standard Operating Procedures and Rules of Engagement are also different.
He reassured the public that the SIS was specifically designed for intervention purposes and not for activities like stop and search or pursuing ‘Yahoo Boys.’
Adejobi said, “The training of the Special Intervention Squad is still on, and the Inspector General of Police has organized training for the SIS Commanders, in a train-the-trainer course. One is ongoing, and another one will come up in Mexico, and the IG has given approval for that.
“We actually want to have enough training before deployment commences, but we are starting very soon with 10 states, while we then move state by state. We have picked some Commanders and instructors to train them, and those are the people who’ll be going to Mexico for training. And the IG gas got some equipment for the SIS to start operations.
“But we need to clarify that the SIS is not SARS. People have been asking questions whether or not it’ll operat like SARS? No. The SIS are basically operational men, it is majorly Police Mobile Force operatives, CTU operatives, and our tactical squad operatives that’ll come together under the command of a very senior police officer, either an ACP or a CSP that’ll be the commander in each state, and they’re not going to be doing stop and search work or pursuing ‘Yahoo Boys,” they’re specifically for intervention purposes.
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“It is only CPs that will call on the commanders to move their men to certain places for intervention. It’s not that a commander would say, oh, these people can pay me well, you guys should move there. That’s not what it’s all about.
“The SIS is a very different squad, and the Standard Operating Procedures and Rules of Engagement are also different, and we are starting very soon. I can confirm that the IG added Katsina State amongst the 10 States, as the Katsina State Governor met with the IG, and also donated some vehicles for the SIS.”
In June, Egbetokun announced the establishment of the 40,000-man Special Intervention Squad and a plan to withdraw Police Mobile Force personnel from VIP escort/guard duties. The move aims to reallocate personnel for the internal security architecture of the country.
Adejobi clarified that the withdrawal of Police Mobile Force personnel is not a blanket ban on all police officers providing VIP escort services. Instead, the objective is to reassign withdrawn personnel to the Special Intervention Squad while continuing to provide specialized police escorts for those legally entitled.
For a comprehensive understanding of this matter, readers are encouraged to refer to the full press statements dated 29 June, 2023, 10 July, 2023, and 24 July, 2023, released by the Nigeria Police Force.