Nigeria Police Cuts Tactical Teams Nationwide

The Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has ordered a nationwide reduction in the number of tactical teams within police formations to enhance supervision, address public complaints about their operations, and redirect personnel to frontline policing duties.

The directive, issued recently and communicated through police channels, limits tactical teams at zonal and state command levels to a maximum of five each. Area commands and divisions are restricted to no more than three teams. Heads of formations have the flexibility to implement the changes by merging existing units or disbanding others as needed. The order explicitly excludes tactical outfits created by state governments, such as the Lagos Rapid Response Squad, Oyo Special Response Squad, and Bayelsa's Operation Doo-Akpor, along with similar units elsewhere.

Force Public Relations Officer Anthony Placid, a deputy commissioner of police, described the move in a statement as a targeted response to the proliferation of tactical teams, which has strained resources and led to allegations of misconduct by under-supervised units. "The IGP directed the reduction of the tactical teams at the Zonal and State Command levels...