Police clarify IGP’s directive, deny disbandment of tactical units nationwide

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has refuted reports claiming that the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, ordered the disbandment of all police units and tactical squads across the country.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, described the reports as a misrepresentation of the IGP’s directive, noting that no such blanket order was given.

According to the police, the directive was aimed at reducing the number of tactical teams, not scrapping them entirely, as part of efforts to address concerns over their proliferation and its impact on manpower distribution.

Placid explained that the increasing number of tactical squads created by commissioners of police and heads of formations has strained personnel available for regular policing duties at divisional levels.

“To address these issues, the IGP directed the reduction of tactical teams at zonal and state command levels to a maximum of five, and at area command and divisional levels to a maximum of three. This can be achieved by merging or disbanding teams at the discretion of heads of formations,” the statement read.

He added that the directive does not affect security outfits established by state governments, including the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos and similar formations in other states.

The police noted that the measure is intended to strengthen conventional policing, improve supervision, and address public concerns over alleged misconduct by some tactical teams.