Governors of the 19 northern states have rejected the disbandment of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Simon Lalong, Plateau state governor and chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, told State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Thursday that the police unit has been useful in the fight against insecurity in the region.

“SARS is not made up of bad elements alone as it also includes personnel who are  doing their work diligently,” he said.

Lalong said what is needed is the reformation of the unit to enable it to discharge its functions “optimally”.

On Sunday, Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), announced the disbandment of SARS following nationwide protests against alleged human rights violations by the unit.

But the protests continued as the #EndSARS campaigners demanded the prosecution of all officers named in cases of rights abuses.

The protests have spread across the country and have persisted for days.

However, while there is a strong momentum of the citizen action in the south of the country, there is a passive response in the northern region.

The police leadership has promised reforms, setting up a new unit named — special weapons and tactics (SWAT).

The Cable