IG orders for restructuring of force animal branch

Usman Baba, the Inspector-General of Police, has ordered the “immediate and strategic restructuring and change in name of the Force Animal Branch.”

According to a statement on Friday, the decision was part of the move to reposition the Force for effective service delivery.

“The directive equally births, as separate sub-entities, three units that were previously subsumed under FAB, the K-9, the Mounted Troops and the Veterinary Units, which will now function independently and complement each other.

“This reorganisation is necessary for improved functionality and exhibition of high levels of capability and capacity. The K-9 and Mounted Troops, as operational units, would greatly improve crowd control, intelligence gathering, surveillance and search duties, detection of illegal substances and explosives, non-vehicular patrols, amongst others.

“The K-9 unit and the Mounted Troops will now be headed by a Commissioner of Police each while the Veterinary Unit will be headed by the most senior veterinary doctor in the Force per time. The three Units will be domiciled in the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters Abuja,” the statement said.