By Eze Jude .O
What we have been referring to, as Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) is nothing but a demonstrably civil oppressive network within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) structure. They operate every inch like the Nazi police - Gestapo.
As far back as 2017, when their brutality on innocent Nigerians reached fever pitch, there has been calls from all corners, demanding that since they refused reform, they should be disbanded.
Those demands had arguably fallen on deaf ears as neither the Police Service Commission (PSC), the Presidency, nor the Federal Ministry of Interior made any move towards heeding the complaints. Nigeria, at best, is an enigma to itself. Rule of law, protection of human rights and the opinion of the masses are second fiddle.
In October 4, 2017, a star artist, Simisola Ogunleye, popularly called Simi tweeted: "People are not supposed to be afraid of the people who are supposed to be protecting us."
Her message was just one among the uncountable tweets from the league of Nigerian celebrities who joined their voices in the trending hashtags of #EndSARS. Chinagorom Onuoha (African China) and Michael Ugochukwu Stephens (Ruggedman) all had their tales.
SARS brutality and animalistic manhandling of Nigerians increased geometrically in recent times. Their weapons purchased with taxpayers' money and entrusted to them by the common authority of our constitution to protect us, turned into instruments of terror against the ordinary citizens.
On September 11, barely three weeks ago, in the suburb of Abuja, they allegedly invaded the house of one Mr. Afam Ugwuma from Anambra state, residing at Lokogoma district of FCT. He was said to have left for work that afternoon. They allegedly beat his fiance (a young graduate) Ms. Ifeoma Abugu from Enugu Ezike, in Igbo Eze North LGA, Enugu State. Miss Ifeoma was said to have visited Afam's house to plan for their wedding and traditional marriage scheduled to take place in December this year.
They allegedly raped and gruesomely murdered her. Perhaps, to cover their alleged dastardly act, they whisked her away to their station, after beating her to coma, and probably coined unfounded stories to flesh up their alleged crime. She was said to have breathed her last in the station.
This development however irked the indigenous lawyers from her hometown, and they took the case up. Only last week, in legislative plenary, the senator representing her zone in the senate, along side the House of Representatives member from her constituency - Chukwuka Utazi and Hon. Atigwe respectively, moved motions for the officers involved to be dismissed and prosecuted.
Prior to that, an association of concerned Igbo Eze North Youth Forum had issued a statement, which was made available across their social media handles, threatening to involve the actions of civil society organizations, both within and outside the country if the police authorities refused to redress the murder of their sister.
Extra-judicial exertion of SARS has become too worrisome in recent times. Total breakdown of law and order is looming across the length and breadth of the country if these armed killer officers in SARS unit of the Nigerian police are not dismantled.
The endurance capacity of the Nigerian masses has reached elastic limit. Yet the outcry is seemingly unheeded, which has made Nigerians to resort to self-help. In Ugheli, Delta state, an incident happened there two days ago. There was a clear case of reign of lawlessness occasioned by the of impunity of the SARS police.
The people took the law into their hands, and murdered five FSARS operatives in broad daylight.
Seeing the horrific incidence as a prelude to further riotous uprisings against the outfit in many other volatile states like Lagos, Rivers etc, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) acted swiftly! He issued a statement restraining the SARS from patrols and road checks, banning them from any other outdoor activity except in incidence established cases of armed robbery or serious crimes.
But was that what Nigerians demanded?
Check the records and you would remember that between 2017 and 2019, IGPs have banned the outfit six times, after which they reinforced and bounce back worse and more monstrous than before.
The clamour was for a total annihilation of SARS in its entirety and a holistic reform of the police force, not an ordinary ban on their mobile patrol.
It was also a call for justice to take its course. The order from IGP was unsatisfactory enough to the public. He was seen to have made the call to shield the accused police officers and not in the interest of the victims. The lives of the five operatives mobbed to death in Ugheli are seemingly more important than those of ordinary Nigerians they had horrendously lynched for over the five years with impunity.
You don't treat public tormentors with kids glove.They deserve to be wound down and the operatives who were alleged to have indulged in nefarious activities in the course of their assignments be prosecuted. Real peace they say, is not just the absence of war, but the presence of justice.
If Africa is to make any headway in post-colonial civilization, the black man must learn to love his neighbour, place premium on human life, and respect the inalienable rights of his fellow citizens. Not even in the despotic General Sani Abacha days did we see what is being witnessed today in terms of human rights abuses from SARS.
If we showed solidarity with U.S in the #Blacklivesmatter saga against George Floyd's murder, then it's time to show more intensive concerns domestically. Something more heinous than Floyd's murder is happening unabated here.
In October, 2018, a presidential panel on SARS chaired by the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr Tony Ojukwu, recieved no fewer than 103 complaints on human rights abuses against the operatives of this squad, leading to the untimely death of at least 96 innocent Nigerians. 80% of those cases occurred in the southern part of the country.
The spread was quite uneven. It leaves much to be desired. The insurgent North East, the banditry-stricken North west and the militia-invaded North central, were waved off while the operatives cause havoc in the South.
But that was not so much an issue as the disappointment that the findings of the panel remains shrouded in secrecy till date. The panel refused to act on its findings, neither did it publicize it. The cries of those widowed, orphaned, maimed and/or impoverished by these offending SARS officers remained unattended to by authority concerned.
It is a moral burden on the IGP and the NHRC to redress the injustices or face the backlash from the people in the tribunal of posterity. As expected, the unguarded court of public opinion has began its sitting and are slamming the gavel of conviction against the police.The Ugheli massacre was just a litmus test.
To sanitize the police, an honest approach towards disbanding SARS and integrally reforming the force, needs to be taken forthwith. Anything short of that is a shifting sand, postponing the evil day.
May the Light spare us! NNL.
...Eze Jude O, is a Laboratory scientist and public affairs analyst. He can be reached on:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
