There appears to be no end to
impunity and human rights violations among operatives of the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Nigeria.
These human rights violations
continue, in spite of the outcry and outraged that rocked the nation barely two
months
ago as Nigerians called for the scrapping of SARS Unit.
Last week Friday, the New Telegraph
reported how SARS operatives harassed and extorted money from residents of Ojodu-Abiodu
community, Ogun State.
According to the residents, this had
been going on long until the fateful shooting of a youngster at a football
field. Irked by the shooting, youths marched to the Ojodu-Abiodu Police
Station, vandalizing windows of the building and parked vehicles. Policemen at
the station, alarmed by the crowd, ran away, abandoning their duty posts.
Some of the youths, who spoke with
our correspondent, disclosed that SARS men from the station used to carry out
arbitrary arrest, and then march them to nearest Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)
gallery, in order to check their account balances before demanding money for
bail money.
While Nigerians are still stewing
over SARS illegal activities and subsequent shooting of a youth at Ojodu-Abiodu,
SARS operatives, attached to the Lagos State Police Command have carried
another shooting.
While the Ojodu-Abiodu shooting was
accidental, the shooting carried out by Lagos State Command SARS was deliberate
and calculative.
The latest victim to the growing
list of human rights violations by SARS operatives is a driver, identified as
Mr. Azeez Kareem.
He and his boss, Chairman of
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Oko-Afo branch, Mr. Samson
Adeleye, were blocked by the SARS men and taken to Lagos State Police
Headquarters.
They were granted bail only after
paying N1million. Kareem, who went to the station with his two legs, would
later be carried out; he had been shot on his leg.
His boss, Adeleye said that the
incident happened while they were returning from Abule-Egba area of the
metropolis. He said that the policemen used their car to block theirs at Pen-Cinema,
brandishing guns. Adeleye and Kareem were whisked away to the police
headquarters without the SARS men telling them their offence.
Adeleye said: “We were returning
from our office at Abule-Egba, where we had a meeting with the state chairman
of NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede. The policemen suddenly appeared from nowhere
and used their vehicle to block our vehicle; they ordered us out of the car. The
incident occurred on January 17, 2018. Before we knew what was happening, we were
already at police headquarters. We were ordered to sit on the floor. They threatened
to kill us, if we didn’t cooperate with them.”
Adeleye disclosed that while he and
his driver were at the SARS office, the operatives also threatened to ruin his
career by inviting some journalists to write stories about him for, “an offence
I still don’t understand or know anything about.”
Adeleye recounted: “Each time I asked
the policemen my offence, they would slap me. It was when one of the policemen
who knew me enquired from the team what my offence was for arresting me, that
one of them said that my predecessor asked them to arrest me; that I overthrew
him with guns.”
“After a while, the policemen came
to where Kareem and I were sitting. They took him to a place called ‘Theatre Room.’
When they eventually brought him out, he had been shot on his leg,” said Adeleye.
He continued his narration: “Kareem
was bleeding seriously. The policemen refused to attend to him. One of them
later came to me; he said I should bring out the gun I used to chase out the
former chairman of the branch from office. I told him we don’t used gun in
NURTW. I told them that I didn’t own a gun, but they refused to believe me. They
kept slapping and threatening to disgrace me out of office. They said that I
didn’t allow their ‘person’ to enjoy his stay in office. It was when some of
the policemen who knew me persuaded them to stop beating me, that they finally told
us that we could leave.”
Before Adeleye and Kareem were
allowed to go however, he was allegedly asked to pay N1million. Adeleye agreed
to pay the money, fearful he and his driver could be killed in detention and
members of his family wouldn’t know.
He said: “It was when I agreed to
pay the money, that they released our seized phones. I quickly called my wife
and some friends. They raised the money that night and brought it to the
command. The policemen allowed Kareem and I to leave.”
When Adeleye got home, he ruminated over
the incident, perturbed by the SARS’ men allegations against his predecessor.
Adeleye said that he was disturbed
because he and his predecessor had a good working relationship.
He said: “I’m surprised he sent
policemen after me. He also lied that I chased him out of office with guns. I
don’t have power to relief him of his appointment except the state chairman of
NURTW. It’s only the state chairman that can order anyone out of office.”
Recollecting how the policemen stopped
them that fateful day, Kareem said it was like a scene straight out of a
Hollywood action movie.
He said: “The SARS’ men car appeared
from nowhere and blocked us. Immediately we got to the SARS’ office, the
policemen collected our phones. They ordered us to sit on the floor. A few
minutes later, one of the policemen came back and marched me into a place
called ‘Theatre Room.’ It was there one of them shot me on the leg. They asked
me to tell them where my boss, Adeleye, hid his guns. I told them we didn’t
have guns. Before I knew what was happening, one of them shot me on the leg. Blood
started gushing.
“After they had tortured me in the
Theatre Room, they brought me out and took me to a cell. I was still in the
cell when they came to call me out that the matter had been resolved. I was
immediately rushed to a private hospital where I received treatment.”
Kareem further said: “The policeman
that shot me was short and dark in complexion. He was in mufti. He was
threatening to hang me before one of them, Mathew persuaded him not to hang me.
Thereafter, he took me into the theatre room, where I was tortured before my
leg was shot.
“The only officer I can remember his
name among the SARS men is Mathew. He was the only junior officer among the
team; but he was the only person begging his seniors to leave us, that we
didn’t know anything about the gun charges. Mathew’s seniors shouted on him to
keep quiet and mind his business. I was
rushed to Badagry General Hospital that same night. If I see the policeman that
shot me, I would be able to identify him.”
The former branch chairman of the
motor park, Chief Joseph Okafor, who was accused of sending the policemen
after Adeleye, said that he just heard of the allegation for the first
time. He said that he could not comment for now until he had investigated the
matter. He promised to call back after further clarifications.
Adeleye said: “I want justice. I
have written a petition to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris,
because I don’t know why those policemen arrested me. My life is no longer
safe. I want a speedy justice from the IG on this matter.”
The Lagos State Police Public
Relations Officer (PPRO), Chike Oti, when contacted on the matter, promised to
get back to our correspondent. But as at press time, he was yet to do so.
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