#ENDSARS: Lagos Police Commissioner issues fresh directives to operatives^

The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, has issued fresh directives to curtail the excesses of the much talked-about Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit better known as SARS.

Odumosu who appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday ordered SARS operatives to stop detaining suspects in their cells with immediate effect.

He noted further that operatives attached to the tactical squads of the Command would have to sign an undertaking, in which they commit to professional best practices and also directed officers to only move out on information and notify the Area Commander before carrying out their operations.

Odumosu said; “It is going to be different because there will be more monitoring and supervision.

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“The additional directive I gave is that they must not even go to investigate any case without booking their arrival at the Area Commander’s office so that the Area Commander will know that they are in that area doing what they ought to do. Once they finish, they must go back and file entry.

“Secondly, I gave a directive that they must not detain anybody in their cells any longer. They can only detain at my office or at the Area Commander’s office. And the Area Commander must interview any suspect they want to detain and ascertain that the suspect had done what warranted being detained.

“It will be better than what has been obtained because there is more supervision. They gave their words, but I am going a step further because they are all signing undertakings in writing to comply with the directives of the IG and failure to adhere to the rules, the undertaking shall serve as evidence, and they will be dealt with according to extant laws,” the Lagos Police Commissioner added.

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