Governor of Plateau State, Sir Simon Lalong, has said the disbanded Special Anti-Robery Squad (SARS is not all about bad elements.
He said there are quite a number of operatives in the unit who are good and do their job diligently.
Although Lalong, who is equally the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, did not however pronounce rejection of SARS disbandment, he said what was needed to be done with the dreaded unit is not a ban but the reformation that will enable it to discharge its functions “optimally”.
He told State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Thursday that the police unit has been useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.
“SARS is not made up of bad elements alone as it also includes personnel who are doing their work diligently,” he said.
On Sunday, Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of police (IGP), announced the disbandment of SARS following nationwide protests against alleged human rights violations by the unit.
But the protests continued as the #EndSARS campaigners demanded the prosecution of all officers named in cases of rights abuses.
The protests have spread across the country and have persisted for days.
However, while there is a strong momentum of the citizen action in the south of the country, there is a passive response in the northern region.
The police leadership has promised reforms, setting up a new unit named — special weapons and tactics (SWAT).
