The Personal Assistant to the President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, on Monday said Executive Order was not needed to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force as being demanded by protesters.
Ahmad made the clarification in a message he posted on his verified twitter handle, @BashirAhmaad.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had on Sunday bowed to pressure and disbanded the squad after days of public outcry and nationwide protests.
But #EndSARS campaigners said they would not back down, insisting that the street rallies would continue until the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), issued an Executive Order scrapping the unit.
The protests continued across the country on Monday despite Adamu’s announcement.
But Ahmad said SARS was not created by any Executive Order or legislative act.
He said the IGP was the one that has the authority to disband the squad and he had done so.
He said, “The defunct SARS was a unit of the Police, it was an administrative creation of the IG of Police, not created by any executive order or legislative act.
“We actually don’t need an executive order to fully disband the unit when the IGP with full authority has already disbanded it.”