Meet Simeon Danladi Midenda, the man who founded SARS in 1992

Simeon Danladi Midenda is a retired Commissioner of Police and founder of the now defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

He founded SARS in 1992.

He was the Nigerian Contingent Commander to United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998. In the mission, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Operations in Mostar Region.

He was Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigations Department, CID, in Umuahia, Abia state,, Deputy Commissioner, CID in Federal Capital Territory and also Deputy Commissioner, Operation in the Federal Capital Territory.

At Force headquarters level, he was the Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations. He finally retired as the Commissioner of Police, Borno State in March 2012.

Historical background

In 1992, Col. Rindam. a military officer from Plateau State met his death at the hands of police operatives at a check point in Lagos. Upon discovery of that, the army took to the streets in Lagos in search of any policeman.

As a result, policemen abandoned the streets in Lagos and withdrew to barracks. Robbers then had a field day in Lagos, operating with impunity.

It took two weeks of talks before the military and police authorities succeeded in convincing the army chaps to return to barracks and for the police to come back to the roads. By that time, it was too late. Armed robbers were in control in Lagos and the like of Shina Rambo could not be challenged by any force.

At this time, I was in-charge of Anti Robbery Unit of the State CID in Benin. Benin was notorious for armed robbery but my unit and I brought the armed robbers to their knees forcing them to flee out of Benin. Then one day.

I was summoned to the office of the Commissioner of police in Benin and when I got there, the Commissioner of Police handed over a copy of a signal message from the Inspect-General of Police for me to read. The IGP then was Alhaji Aliyu Attah.