Police deploy SWAT officers to state commands

FOLLOWING the spate of insecurity across the country, police authorities have deployed officers of the new Special Weapons and Tactics Team, SWAT, to state commands.

Dingyadi stated this while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme.

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.”

SWAT, a ‘child’ of circumstance, was created after the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, over allegations of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings last October.

The outgone IG, MOhammed 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 OraNgun, 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.