Operatives of the Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS are trending again as most of them have always been accused of trampling on the rights of many Nigerians and putting the lives of many in danger by their commando-style of operation.
As the name implies, the outfit which was set up as a unit under the Nigerian Police Force is expected to wage war against criminal acts and end robbery in the country and not to harass innocent Nigerians as most of them have always been accused of subjecting young Nigerians to undue harassment in the name of curbing cybercrime, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo.
Before now, many Nigerians have shared stories of how the operatives engaged in unlawful arrests, high-handedness, humiliation, illegal detention, and extortion.
It would be recalled that some years back, a petition signed by about 10,195 people was submitted to Nigeria’s National Assembly calling for the scrapping of the security outfit and there was talk of reforming the force, instead of full disbandment.
END-SARS
The END-SARS is an advocacy group opposing the Special Anti-Robbery Squad; the campaign started as a social media campaign using the hashtag #ENDSARS to demand that Nigeria’s government scrap and end the deployment of Nigeria Police Force Special Anti-Robbery Squad, popularly known as SARS.
The campaign generated controversies when the former Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer Jimoh Moshood, accused the campaigners of being criminals, because of this, the then Inspector General of Nigeria Police Force, Ibrahim K. Idris ordered the reform and reorganization of SARS, then, Nigeria’s Senate also backed the call for scrapping SARS.
Who Are The Bad Eggs Among SARS Operatives?
In answering the question of who are the criminals among SARS operatives, it is imperative to note that there are many of them who have in the past acted unprofessionally in dealing with alleged criminals.
Some of them got intoxicated by the power of guns given to them to protect citizens and, by so doing, put many families into anguish and agony by virtue of how they operate.
Countless are the lives of Nigerians that have been lost to what many described as commando-style of operation of many SARS operatives.
As brilliant as the motives behind the setup of the SARS might look or sound, families who have lost their loved ones to the hand of killing by SARS operatives can never see any reason the operation of the outfit should be sustained.
Can you recollect the video that went viral in the year 2019, showing how SARS operatives shot at handcuffed suspects in the Igando area of Lagos State.
The suspects were reportedly put into the back of a van by the officers before one suspect appears to be pushed out of the door by another.
That was one among many others that happened in the year 2019 and many years back and even the ones that went unnoticed due to one reason or the other.
Killing Of Tiamiyu Kazeem
A few days ago, another tragedy struck in Ogun state when some SARS operatives were accused of killing the assistant captain of Remo stars football club, Tiamiyu Kazeem.
Everyeveryng gathered that Sanni Abubakar, a principal witness in the death of the player countered the claim by the police force that the late defender jumped out of the vehicle while attempting to escape.
While the police claimed that late Kazeem jumped out of the vehicle and was crushed by an oncoming car, the friend said he was pushed out.
Though the Ogun State Police Command has recommended that the operative of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, allegedly involved in the killing of Kazeem, be dismissed, the command said the operative acted unprofessionally.
Also, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, asked the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Anthony Ogbizi, to investigate the matter.
There is no justification for getting involved in kidnapping, armed robbery, cybercrimes, and any other criminal acts but the recent killings among other forms of harassment by the SARS operatives is another reason to ask the question WHO ARE THE BAD EGGS AMONG SARS OPERATIVES?
