Abba Kyari: IGP Disbands All IRT Units, Special Tactical Squad Teams

• Abba Kyari, alongside four other police officers, was arrested on Monday following revelations that he was invovled with an international drug cartel
• The former IRT Head had been implicated by fraudster, Hushpuppi over allegations of money laundering and is currently facing possibile extradition to the US

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the closure of all satellite units of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and Special Tactical Squad (STS) across the country.

The development may not have been unconnected to the arrest of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police and erstwhile head of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, Abba Kyari and others by authorities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over alleged drug dealings.

Read also: Abba Kyari Faces Extradition After NDLEA Probe

All serving officers in the satellite units have been asked to report to the Force Headquarters, Abuja for debriefing.

A source, who confirmed this on Tuesday, added that authorities have directed that serving officers and men in the unit be demobilised and posted to commands across the country.

Meanwhile, the IGP also directed that the IRT/STS Headquarters in Abuja should be fortified and organised for enhanced operational performance to combat emerging trends.

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Recall that former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in July 2020, had directed the disbandment of the satellite offices and bases of the IRT and STS, leaving the headquarters of the units under the State Investigation Bureau as a response to the public outcry on human rights infringement by some officers of these units.

The formations of the IRT and STS had been informed by the Force Headquarters’ determination to reposition the police and ensure accountability and due process.

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