Nigerians have reacted to the recently announced newly formed police unit, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) which was to replace the recently-dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Announcing the new police unit, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu on Tuesday said Prospective members of the SWAT will undergo a psychological and medical examination to ascertain their fitness and eligibility for the assignment.
Reacting to the formation of the new police unit, many Twitter users noted that the move is not an assurance that there won’t be police brutality or harassment as they reiterated the need for total overhauling of the Nigerian Police Force instead of creating a new unit.
In a tweet, a Twitter user said the SWAT unit was created to loot money. He alleged that the IGP will send in a fresh budget for new weapons, new uniforms and printing of names among others.
Meanwhile, another Twitter user opined that the formation and operation of the SWAT unit requires a lot of training and experience with state of the art weapons.
In the meantime, the IGP has ordered that all defunct SARS personnel should report at the Force Headquarters for debriefing, psychological and medical examination while the New Tactical Team is to Commence Training Next Week.
He said the officers are expected to undergo a medical examination as a prelude to further training and re-orientation before being redeployed into mainstream policing duties.
It was gathered that the medical examination will be carried out by the newly set-up Police Counselling and Support Unit (PCSU), a Unit, which shall engage in psychological management, re-orientation and training of officers of the Force deployed for tactical operations and other duties.