October 05 2020 | Radio Biafra
The special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigerian police force as the name implies, was officially formed and charged years ago to take responsibility of combating armed robbery, kidnapping and other criminal/violent-related activities perpetrated within the civilian society by criminals. But most unfortunately, it has metamorphosed into a deadly terror arm of the Nigerian police that arrogantly engages in harassing, oppressing, extorting, brutalizing, maiming and killing those they are supposed to protect and fight for. These SARS operatives disappointingly, dress and operate like criminals under the federal government’s cover.
They have corruptively assumed the position of Moral Judges against the people with their indiscriminate arrests, public/private humiliation and torture of persons for being decently dressed, driving good cars, wearing different fashionable hairstyles/beards, using good mobile phones, putting on jeans’ trousers, etcetera. These police officers that brandish variety of weapons which include axes, machetes, hammers, cutters, assault rifle guns with double magazines, lawlessly and persistently, going by their antecedents, get involved in criminal activities on daily basis in Nigeria. They wield enormous powers of tyranny against the people. A situation where supposed security professionals blatantly get contracted to unleash terror on perceived enemies, randomly stop road users for illegitimate searches and even threaten them to have their mobile phones unlocked or get shot, is to say the least, most mischievous.
Many innocent citizens have unfortunately died as a result of torture in SARS custody and for not having money to settle the exorbitant bills handed down to them. Other victims have summarily been shot dead out of fear of unjustified arrests and in the course of trying to evade these “dare-devils” in Nigerian police. And to really confirm the anger and distrust the masses have against these men, there were eruptive jubilations that filled the atmosphere on hearing that unknown gunmen recently attacked the Rivers State SARS office, with death recorded against them and their properties, destroyed.
#EndSARSNow# has over the time, been trending but the Nigerian government has bluntly given deaf ears to the demand of the people. The police administrative hierarchy has equally absolutely done nothing to curb the criminal excesses and menace of these operatives. These institutionalized monsters have brazenly become a terroristic force that target unsuspecting victims at gun points, forcing them to nearby banks to make withdrawals with their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards for settlement.
This evil happens equally in the same country where Boko Haram terrorists and Fulani killer herdsmen amongst other Islamic terror groups terrorize and gruesomely kill the innocent on successive basis. It is an absurdity that a supposed security outfit that is constitutionally obligated to provide protection to the civilian populace, has turned around to complement the criminality of other terror groups against the same people. The only difference between SARS operatives and the “bush/forest terrorist” in Nigeria is that they seemingly operate officially.
Source: The Biafra Herald
Published by:
Chibuike John Nebeokike
For: Radio Biafra Media