Inspector General of Police launches squad to tackle insecurity in FCT
The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has announced the launch of the Special Intervention Squad in the Federal Capital Territory to tackle the activities of kidnappers and bandits, particularly in border towns within the territory.
The newly formed squad will be responsible for patrolling and securing communities along the various borders of the FCT, and will intervene to address and reduce violent attacks in the nation’s capital.
In the latter part of 2023, the Nigeria Police Force disclosed plans to deploy 40,000 operatives of the Special Intervention Squad who are currently undergoing training. The deployment is set to commence in Katsina and nine other states, including the FCT.
To ensure the effectiveness of the squad, the Force Headquarters announced that the designated commanders will undergo training in Mexico. The deployment to the 10 selected states aims to pilot the activities of the SIS before expanding to other states.
Following his assumption of office in June, Egbetokun established the SIS as a flagship project of his administration, emphasising the squad’s role as a standby team of specially trained officers to swiftly address major security incidents. This initiative aligns with the administration’s commitment to combat violent crime in the country.
During an event in Owerri, the IG revealed that the remaining 27 states will subsequently adopt the approach taken by the initial 10 pilot states. The selection of these states was based on a recent assessment of violent crime conducted in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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In an exclusive interview, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, assured that the Special Intervention Squad will not replicate the controversial tactics of the now-defunct Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad, which was associated with human rights abuses.
Adejobi also clarified that operatives of the SIS, drawn from the Police Mobile Force and other units, will not engage in escort duties.
Furthermore, the squad’s commanders will operate under the command of Commissioners of Police in their respective states.
Adejobi said, “The training of the Special Intervention Squad is still on, and the Inspector General of Police has organised 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.
“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.”
