Nigeria Police Force has denied media reports that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, ordered the disbandment of all police tactical units and directed restructuring.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Okon Placid and made available to Newsmen in Enugu.
The police described the reports as a misrepresentation of the IGP’s directive, stressing that no such blanket dissolution was ordered.
According to the statement, the IGP acknowledged growing public concerns over the operations and proliferation of tactical teams across commands.
While recognising their critical role in combating crime, Disu expressed concern that the unchecked expansion of such units has led to manpower shortages at police divisions and posts, as well as issues affecting the Force’s integrity due to the excesses of poorly supervised teams.
To address these challenges, the police boss directed a restructuring—not a total disbandment—of tactical units. Under the new directive, Zonal and State Commands are to maintain a maximum of five tactical teams, while Area Commands and Divisions are limited to three. The restructuring may involve merging or disbanding some teams at the discretion of command heads.
The clarification further noted that the directive does not apply to state government-established security outfits such as the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, Oyo State’s Special Response Squad, and Bayelsa’s Operation DOO-AKPOR, among others.
The IGP said the move is aimed at strengthening police divisions, improving supervision, and reducing public complaints linked to tactical team excesses. He added that redeploying personnel from excess units would help reinforce community policing at the grassroots level.
The IGP reiterated the police’s commitment to building a more accountable and people-friendly force, urging the public to disregard misleading reports suggesting a complete shutdown of tactical operations.
