A new report of the International agency alleged that the elite Nigerian police squad (SARS) set up to combat violent crime is torturing detainees to extract lucrative bribes and confessions. The report says the Special Anti-Robbery Squad demands bribes, steals and extorts money from criminal suspects and their families and is “fomenting a toxic climate of fear and corruption.” Reacting to the report on Wednesday, IGP Idris‎ said the Amnesty International has taken a bias position against the Nigerian Police Force, adding that the report did not reflect the position of the Police. While alleging that the Force was not given a chance to respond to the allegations in the report before it was made public, the IGP explained that recently Amnesty International and other Civil Society Groups requested to inspect SARS detention facilities and other police detention centers across the country and were allowed to do so only for them to say the cells were prearranged and kept clean because they were coming. However, IGP Idris warned police commanders and other senior officers to ensure their officers and other ranks operate within international best practices as the Police will not tolerate any action that would bring embarrassment to the Force. ]]>