Operatives of the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Edo State, have been accused of shooting, arresting civilians
and demanding outrageous bail money.
The SARS operatives were alleged to
have stormed a residence in Ugbiyoko area of Benin City on April 29, 2019, at
about 2am while in mufti and embarked on sporadic shootings.
The allegation was made by Leftist
Osazee Edigin
Public Relations Officer of Edo
Civil Society Organisations (EDOSCO).
Edigin said: “It was a replica of
armed robbery attacks thereby sending occupants of the building into frenzy as
they scampered for safety.”
According to Edigin, while the
shooting rages on, some of the occupants tried running out of the building as
the armed-robber-look-alike police officers break anything on their way to gain
access into the building. A not too lucky young man was shot and the bullets
hit him on his leg and luckily, another bullet that was to locate his heart was
stopped by his mobile phone that he placed on his breast pocket.
Edigin said: “Having gained access
into the building, they upturned the building, searching for guns and other
dangerous weapons after which they arrested everybody on sight, including the
shot young man. They took them to Evbuotubu Police Divisional Headquarters, where
the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) discretely rejected the suspects as the
operation was not carried out by his men.
“The issue that led to the operation
was a misinformation by an armed robbery suspect. The suspect alleged that his
gang members reside at the said building. It was later discovered that the
suspect that led the police to the building lied.”
The activist noted that the suspects
and wounded were taken into police custody and the police allegedly started
another round of accusations. The suspects were labeled as cultists.
Edigin noted: “It was later revealed
that the wounded was released and taken to the hospital for treatment. Further
information has it that the commissioner of police has visited the wounded
suspect in the hospital. The police officers that carried out the operation
started demanding for N900, 000 as bail for the rest suspects before they could
be released. When it got to their attention that among the persons arrested is
a member of Edo Civil Society Organisations and sensing the pending
consequences, they quickly collected N40, 000 as bail behind the scene and
released them. It therefore follows that the essence of the police in fighting
crime is to make money for selves and not protect lives and property. The
police authority appears to be watching and quiet as the institution
degenerates on per second basis.”
Reacting to the allegations leveled against the SARS
operatives, the Edo State Commissioner for Police, Mr Dan Mallam Abubakar, said
that he was just hearing the incident for the first time from our correspondent
that called him.
While stressing that SARS operatives couldn’t
possibly go around arresting people and collecting exorbitant bail money from
them, the CP said that families of those arrested should ensure they came to
him to lodge complaints, so that their family members would be released.
He also promised to speak with the officer in charge
of SARS to find out what really transpired.
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