A Security expert, senior Lawyer and some Police officers have kicked against the disbanding satellite offices and bases of the Intelligence Response Squad (IRT) and Special Tactical Squad (STS).
The IGP has directed that satalite offices across the country should be shut down as moves by the Force to reposition the police and ensure accountability and due process.
According to the Inspector-Genera of police (IGP) , Mohammed Adamu ,the integration of the IRT and STS into the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) headed by Ibrahim Lamorde was in order to improve efficiency.
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According to a signal sighted by our Correspondent yesterday, the Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) in charge of IRT (Abba Kyari) and Yusuf Kolo (STS), are to ensure that all bases and offices outside Abuja were shut with immediate effect.
Security expert, Dr. Onah Ekohomu described the move as an unpardonable error for the IGP to scrap IRT offices or put IRT under FCID:” The IRT should be left alone as it is a specialized formation that has proven that it is capable. If the police are winding down the offices of IRT nationwide, they are telling kidnappers to have a field day.
I mean it, it will be an unpardonable error to do so. That the police are trying and being cheered up is because of the achievements of IRT. The Squad is doing well in intelligence and it uses highly technical and sophisticated equipment to track hoodlums. It will be a fatal mistake to winding IRT down, but for STS, I think they have a reason to make the Squad work with the Federal SARS because they are doing the same work with States SARS; fighting armed robberies and violent crimes in the state, but for IRT, it should be left on its own”
On his own, a legal practitioner, Mr. Adeleke Debo, said, there was no need of changing a winning team, blaming politicians as the problem of destabilizing the system.
Mr. Debo said many successes recorded by the two formations were too numerous to mention:” The achievements of the formations, especially IRT, led by Kyari, is second to none in the history of this country.
Any progressive should not think of how to change winning teams but should think of how to promote the winning teams to the position of Commissioners of Police to give them the strength to bite. Removing Kyari and Kolo who have done well in intelligence and crime-fighting will bring the security of this country to its knees.
” The IGP should not contemplate changing the winning teams if he wants to succeed. Abba Kyari in particular has done what Napoleon cannot do. Considering his monumental achievements, even when he was the officer in charge of Lagos State Police Command Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), and what he has done so far in IRT, any person who thinks of removing him is an enemy of the police and the government.
” Kyari was rewarded recently by the House of Representatives ; not because of his handsome face, but because of his monumental achievements .He was trained abroad and he performed creditably well ,to the extent that he was rated high by FBI. My advice to the government and the IGP is that Kyari and Kolo should be promoted to CP”.
However , some senior police officers who spoke on the condition of annonimity as they were not supposed to speak to the press ,said it was out of share jealousy by some close associates of the IGP who felt that the tactical units were shinning and becoming more influencial in the force that convinced him to to disband other units .
A senior police officer at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, said this is not the best time to cripple the units, considering the security situation in the country:” I must be frank with you, ever since the House of Representative…
