A panel has recommended the sack of 37 former members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and the prosecution of 24 others for professional misconduct.
It comes after the Presidential Panel on Reform of SARS set up by federal government in 2018 submitted its report.
The presidential panel had, among other things, investigated allegations of human rights violations and abuse of office against SARS and recommended reform or restructuring of the outfit.
Some 113 complaints on alleged human rights violations were sent in to the panel, alongside 22 memos suggesting how to reform and restructure SARS and the police in general.
The panel also directed the Inspector-General of Police to unravel the identity of 22 officers.involved in the violation of the human rights of innocent citizens.
Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, called for a speedy implementation of the panel recommendations, as he presented the report to the Police Service Commission.
“We have come to see a PSC determined to play a leading role in the reform of the Nigeria Police Force,” Ojukwu was quoted to have said in a statement.
PSC chairman Musiliu Smith, in Abuja on Friday, who received the report, said for effective reform of “the much-maligned SARS,” there must be a deliberate effort to select capable, professional and credible people to replace the disbanded outfit.
The selected officers, he added, must be properly trained and exposed to regular training.
“There must also be close supervision of the newly selected officers so that the nation will not experience the rot that became the fate of the disbanded unit.”
