The Nigeria Police Force has revealed that deployment of 40,000 operatives of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) who are currently undergoing training, will begin with Katsina and nine other states.
The Force Headquarters also revealed that the proposed Commanders that will be in charge of the squad will be trained in Mexico while noting that the deployment to the 10 carefully selected states is to pilot the activities of the SIS.
The PUNCH reports that following his assumption of office in June, the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, declared the establishment of the SIS, a maiden initiative of his administration.
Egbetokun further noted that the SIS would be a standby team of specially trained officers to quickly intervene in large insecurity occurrences, adding that it was part of the priority in his administration’s endeavour to combat the country’s threat of violent crime.
During a recent visit to Owerri, the Imo State capital, the IG stated that the other 27 states will immediately follow the 10 pilot states that were selected based on the recent violent crime assessment conducted in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with the Punch, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, noted that the SIS will not operate like the defunct Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad that was notorious for human rights abuses.
The Force spokesperson also revealed that operatives of the SIS, who were drawn from the Police Mobile Force, would not be involved in escort duties while noting that the squads’ commanders would 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 has been able to get some equipment for the SIS to start operations.
“But we need to clarify that the SIS is not SARS. People have been asking questions about whether or not it will operate like SARS. No. The SIS are basically operational men, it is mostly Police Mobile Force operatives, CTU operatives, and our tactical squad operatives that will come together under the command of a very senior police officer, either an ACP or a CSP who will 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 to the SIS”.
