Police deploy SWAT officers in state commands

The police authorities have deployed officers of the new Special Weapons and Tactics Team in state commands, Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammad Dingyadi, has said.

Dingyadi stated this on Friday while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by Nigerian NewsDirect.

He said, “They (SWAT officers) have ended their training and they have been posted to the state police commands that brought them for training. They are there with them and they are performing the functions of the SWAT.

It was reported that following the nationwide #EndSARS protests last October, the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, disbanded the Special Anti-Robbery Squad over allegations of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.

Adamu had announced the formation of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team to replace the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

About 1,850 members of SWAT were later trained at the Police Mobile Force Training School, Ila Oragun, Osun State and the PMF Training School, Ende Hills, Nasarawa State.

The SWAT officers were subsequently deployed in police formations across the country to fight crimes particularly robberies.