The Nigerian Police Force has reaffirmed that the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) no longer exists in any form within the country’s policing structure, amid renewed public concerns over alleged police brutality.

Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Olohundare Jimoh, stated on Friday that former SARS operatives were not reorganised into new tactical units following the dissolution of the controversial squad in 2020.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s *Sunrise Daily*, Jimoh said lessons from the EndSARS protests had informed ongoing reforms within the police force.

“SARS has been disbanded, and there is no area where the old SARS operatives were migrated into another squad or formation to continue such activities,” he said.

His comments come in the wake of viral videos showing confrontations between police officers and civilians, as well as public outrage over the recent shooting of 28-year-old Mene Ogidi in Effurun, Delta State.

Jimoh, however, argued that many of the videos currently circulating online were outdated clips from incidents that occurred several years ago.

“Most of the videos being recirculated are extremely old, some dating back five or six years, but are now being presented as recent incidents,” he said.

The senior police officer explained that former SARS personnel were not dismissed because they were career police officers performing general duties, but were instead redeployed across other departments within the force.

He added that extensive retraining and reform initiatives had been implemented after the disbandment of SARS, with support from local and international human rights organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

According to Jimoh, the programmes were designed to improve officers’ conduct, strengthen respect for human rights, and align policing practices with international standards.

He further disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police had constituted a high-level committee to investigate all recently circulated videos alleging police misconduct.

“If there is any recent case among them, those responsible will be identified and dealt with appropriately in line with the law,” he stated.

Jimoh also urged Nigerians to avoid spreading unverified information online, warning that misinformation could erode public trust and undermine national security.

“We want people to ensure that whatever they share is based on facts,” he said, adding that the police were not attempting to conceal genuine cases of misconduct.

He maintained that any officer found guilty of abuse or misconduct would be sanctioned in accordance with the law.