The Nigeria Police Force has clarified that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, did not order the scrapping of all tactical units as widely reported, but rather directed a strategic reduction of such teams nationwide.
In a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, the police described reports of a total disbandment as misleading and a misinterpretation of the IGP’s directive.
According to the Force, while the IGP acknowledges public concerns over the excesses of tactical teams, he also recognises their vital role in crime prevention and enforcement operations across the country.
Drawing from his experience in various command positions, Disu expressed concern over the unchecked proliferation of these units, noting that it has weakened manpower at police divisions and contributed to misconduct due to poor supervision.
To address these challenges, the IGP has ordered that tactical teams be streamlined — with a maximum of five units at the Zonal and State Command levels, and no more than three at Area Command and Divisional levels.
The police explained that this restructuring may involve merging or disbanding some units, depending on operational needs and the discretion of command heads.
The directive, however, does not affect state-established security outfits such as the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, the Special Response Squad in Oyo, and Operation DOO-AKPOR in Bayelsa.
The Force added that the move is aimed at redeploying officers to police stations to strengthen grassroots policing and improve public trust, while curbing the excesses associated with loosely supervised tactical teams.
