TheNewsGuru

Tag: SARS

  • Mistaken identity: SARS officials harass, assault Dr Sid

    Men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, otherwise known as SARS, intimidated and harassed Nigerian pop star, Sidney Esiri a.k.a Dr Sid earlier today.

    The SARS operatives who mistook the singer for a ‘Yahoo boy’ seized his phone , intimidated and harassed him.

    The timely intervention of Reekado Banks, Ksolo and Basketmouth made the operatives realise they have been harassing a pop star all along.

     

    A video which surfaced online showing an angry Dr Sid trying to introduce himself to the SARS officials has sparked several reactions online.

    In recent times, there has been an uproar on social media over the inhumane treatment of Nigerians by SARS

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BhuK_QYHT5I/?taken-by=thenewsgurung

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  • #EndSARS: Ruggedman, ASP Opetodalopo Badmus in war of words

    Nigerian rapper and activist, Ruggedman engaged in a heated argument with Assistant Superintendent of Police, Opetodolapo Badmus on Instagram.

    The online spat started when Ruggedman accused the Nigerian Police of shielding officers he described as ‘bad eggs’ in the force.

    The whole drama began as a result of a case of alleged police brutality in Ogba area of Lagos by security personnel believed to be operatives of the Federal Special Anti –Robbery Squad (FSARS), after the victim had reportedly refused to hand over his mobile phone to be screened by the officers.

    In the viral video, the officers are seen maltreating the victim who is rumoured to have passed on after the incident.

     

    ASP Badmus had said that the police hierarchy were aware of the incident and that they are investigating the incident to make sure the culpable officers will be brought to justice.

    An unconvinced Ruggedman who wasn’t swayed by her statement noted that citizens wanted to see such cases in court and hear jail sentences pronounced on convicted officers.

    In her reaction, ASP Badmus rebuked the entertainer ,adding that she is disappointment in his utterance.

     

     

    See their conversation below:

     

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  • 2 inspectors, 3 sergeants nabbed over robbery attempt in Lagos

    The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five serving policemen over the alleged robbery attempt on one Mr Immanuel James, at Ago-Palace way, Okota, a Lagos suburb.

    The suspects — two Inspectors and three Sergeants –were identified to be operatives attached to Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), Ipakodo.

    The command’s spokesman, SP Chike Oti, who confirmed their arrest to newsmen on Tuesday, said that the men were not operatives from the Federal SARS, Ikeja Unit as reported.

    He, however, said that one Inspector Jude Akhoyemta, who was earlier mentioned in the matter among suspects, was found to be innocent.

    “In line with the directive of the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, the Command hereby informs the general public that further enquiry into the allegation of harassment of one Immanuel James Ibe-Anyanwu by SARS operatives at Ago-Palace way, Okota revealed the true identity of officers involved in the highly regrettable incident.

    “Those involved are currently undergoing interrogation at the Command’s X-Squad Section and would be marched before an Adjudicating Officer at the Police Provost Department for the commencement of their orderly room trial,” Oti said.

  • #ENDSARS: IG bows to pressure, bans SARS from conducting stop and search operations

    …orders new recruits to undergo psychiatric tests

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has banned the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force from conducting stop and search operations on roads except when necessary.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some group of Nigerians recently in the social media, called for the scrapping of SARS over alleged harassment of innocent Nigerians, using the #EndSARS.

    Following the allegation, the Inspector- General of Police , Mr Ibrahim Idris, promised to restructure and reposition the unit for effective service delivery.

    Idris also warned members of the group against acting as body-guards, delving into land matters and debt collection that were considered civil.

    He further warned that members of the unit must only embark on operations with the permission of the commissioner of police in charge of SARS in the police commands.

    “You must operate in official uniform clearly marked for identification.

    “I just want to warn you all here that any officer caught engaging in these activities will be dealt with accordingly.

    “The Nigeria Police force under my leadership shall operate strictly guided by the human rights principles as enshrined in the United Nations charter on human rights,”he said.

    He mandated the Inspector-General of police’s monitoring units and the X-squad and other over sights unit of the force to monitor the activities of the SARS.

    The police boss noted that the establishment of the unit was due to activities of the men of the underworld.

    He said that as part of measures to check the unit, they would be solely mandated to confront only armed robbery cases and violent crimes in the country,

    Idris also said that men deployed to SARS would undergo training, continuous assessment and psychometric test to determine their suitability or otherwise.

     

    NAN

     

  • SARS operatives arrest, detain singer, Praiz

    Nigerian RnB singer and Project Fame West Africa alumni, Praise Adejo better known as Praiz has been arrested by SARS officials in Lagos.

    According to reports reaching TheNewsGuru, Praiz was on his way to the end of the year party held by his record label, X3M Music when he was stopped by the police officials along Lekki-Epe expressway.

    His mobile phone was shattered when he made attempts to record the incident.

    The ‘Rich and Famous’ crooner is currently being detained at Ajah Police Station.

     

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  • Four fake SARS operatives killed in Rivers

    Four persons parading themselves as operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad have been gunned down in Rivers State.

    The suspects were killed by F-SARS on Saturday at Ogbogoro community in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State following a distress call from an unidentified member of the public.

    This was as armed robbers, who operated around the Iloabuchi area of Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt City, on Saturday night, killed a policeman in the area, leaving a local vigilante member and other persons with bullet wounds.

    It was learnt that the vigilante member and the other persons, who were hit by bullets, had been hospitalised.

    A source, who did not want his name in print, told our correspondent that the criminals were spotted to be fake security operatives by residents of the area.

    It was gathered that a resident of the area called Ozuoba Police Station.

    The source said when SARS operatives entered the community, the fake SARS men engaged them in a gun duel.

    The Commander of F-SARS in the state, Mr. Akin Fakorede, who confirmed the development, said his men killed a four-man robbery gang that disguised as SARS operatives to rob some residents.

    Fakorede said the criminals engaged the SARS men in a gun battle, adding that his men overpowered and killed the hoodlums.

    He noted that the same gang had earlier this year killed a taxi driver operating in the area.

    Fakorede said, “A four-man robbery gang with their AK-47 rifles, impersonating as SARS operatives, met their end on December 16, 2017 at Ogbogoro. The gang had gone to rob one Mr. Wey Nwinanadun.

     

    “They went to rob Nwinanadun at his residence in Ogbogoro; the gang had previously robbed in the Ada George and Iwofe area of the City.

    “SARS is determined to root out all criminal gangs operating in the state under whatever guise.”

    When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed that a policeman was killed at Iloabuchi area of Port Harcourt, describing it as a great loss.

    Omoni noted that the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Ahmed Zaki, had already launched a manhunt for the culprits and promised that the killers would be apprehended and prosecuted.

    He vowed that the police would not be deterred in their efforts to rid the state of criminals, stating that officers have been drafted to strategic locations to ensure an effective policing of the state.

  • Police, SARS deserve support – Dakuku Peterside

    Amidst clamours to end SARS, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has called for support for the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and for the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), to help check the rising crime rate.

    Peterside made the call while speaking on the side-lines of the ongoing meeting of the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea Group in Lagos.

    While commending the efforts of the SARS squad of the Nigeria police for enhancing security in Nigeria, he noted that a well policed nation will have a multiplier effect on security in the maritime sector.

    He noted that changes in country has made reforms for most institutions of Government inevitable, the NIMASA DG said that SARS is one of such organs of government now in need of reform. This he explained will go a long way to enhance their operations.

    He also noted that Nigerians should support the Police Force, and that the Police should be reformed like other Agencies of Government in order to perform optimally.

    While condemning those calling for the scrapping of SARS as mischievous, Dakuku restated his believe that strengthening and reforming the anti-robbery squad is rather the way forward to enhance their capacity.

    “I support the good work of SARS and wish to add that like any other agency of government, it should be reorganized and strengthened to function better. In every society, without the police, there can be no law and order,” he said.

    Peterside further pointed out that SARS has been very instrumental in policing in Nigeria, particularly, Rivers State.

    He also added that it is beneficiaries of crime that are opposed to the operations of the Anti-Crime outfit.

    “Nobody could deny the fact that Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has been very potent in tackling violent crimes and helped to reduce incidents of crimes and build confidence in the people,” he said.

     

  • Respect my right, end SARS: Protesters bring Warri to a halt

    Protesters belonging to a Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Delta state have urged the Federal Government to restructure the entire Nigeria Police force for better performance.

    The groups made the call on Monday during a peaceful rally in Warri to mark the World Human Rights Day.

    The protesters, mostly boys and girls, converged at the Enerhen Junction, a boundary between Warri and Uvwie Local Government at about 11:00 a.m without obstructing vehicular movement and other commercial activities.

    They held placards with inscriptions such as: “We are Nigerians, our rights no bi privilege, respect my right, end SARS,” “I walk around with my laptop does not make me a Yahoo boy”.

    Others were: “Dreadlocks, Tattoos no be Yahoo boy,” “End SARS, reform Nigeria Police, “SARS must respect human rights in Delta,” among others.

    Addressing newsmen, leader of the protest, Mr Kehinde Taiga, said that the brutality of the Nigeria Police, particularly the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), was becoming unbearable in the society.

    Taiga, who is the Chairman, Committee for the Defence of Human Right (CDHR), Delta chapter, said that restructuring the police force was a better option to ending the menace.

    “Police should operate within the ambit of the constitution, they should not be violating the rights of the citizens. The brutality of the police is becoming unbearable.

    “We call on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to restructure the Nigeria Police and be given a guideline of operation.

    “The fundamental human rights are there to be exercised by every citizen, so police should stop violating those rights, the fundamental rights of Nigerians should be respected, ” he said.

    Taiga also said that the activities of SARS should be controlled by the State Commands rather than being supervised by a Police Commissioner in Abuja.

    Also speaking, Mr Collins Azuike, Lead Partner, “New Warri,” said the group made up of creative youths move about with the cell phones and laptops, adding that they suffered a lot of harassment from the police.

    “Of course, there are few bad persons among us that are doing fraudulent things but a good percentage of us are trying to create a better Warri.

    “We have our rights, that somebody is carrying a dreadlock does not make him or her a bad person, we want the police to join us to achieve this dream of New Warri where everyone’s right will be protected,” he said.

    Mr Igho Tietie, Convener, “New Warri”, said that there were laid down rules of engagement of the Nigeria Police, adding that the force floted those rules.

    “That a young man is carrying dreadlocks, tattoos and dress shabilly is not a yardstick to adjudge the persons as a criminial.

    “The police brutality is getting too much, when you try to protest for your right, they threaten to shoot you,” he said.

    Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta Command, Mr Andrew Aniamaka, on his cell phone for response was unsuccessful.

     

  • Before We #EndSARS – Jude Ndukwe

    Before We #EndSARS – Jude Ndukwe

    By Jude Ndukwe

    There has been an ongoing campaign by some Nigerians calling for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, a unit in the Nigeria Police Force.

    This call is being ignited by a plethora of complaints against men and officers of the special unit. Such complaints range from torture, its use by some powerful citizens to settle their scores against lesser mortals, unprovoked brutalization of innocent citizens, summary execution of suspects etc.

    No doubt, these allegations against men of the SARS have been confirmed by some victims, it would be totally inexpedient and counter-productive to call for the total scrapping of the anti-robbery squad. What the campaigners should be doing is to call for a holistic reform of the Nigeria Police Force and suggest other means through which we can have a friendlier and more effective police.

    This is because scrapping SARS, if there is any need to do so, will amount to nothing but treating the symptoms of a rapacious and malignant cancer while the causative agents are allowed to thrive. In such a situation, the cancer patient might experience some relief in the short term, but the cancer would surely reappear and even become more difficult to manage.

    There is nothing that the SARS is being accused of today that the parent police body is not guilty of. There is an equally plethora of complaints against the police force, and their brutish and crude nature of policing still stares us in the face. In this circumstance, calling for the abrogation of SARS can also mean calling for the abrogation of our entire police force.

    The case of “Apo 6” is still fresh in our memories. That, to say the least, is the height of police brutality. There is no way SARS which is a creation of the police can be expected to be different from its parent body. To call for the end of SARS without reforming the police would only be an exercise in futility. SARS is only a variant of the body it represents, only a part of the policing problem we have had to contend with in this part of this world.

    The flip side of the issue is that SARS has also become a nightmare to armed robbers. Unfortunately, the way armed robbers seem to dread SARS is the same way ordinary citizens seem to dread them. And this is not supposed to be so. The proper narrative should be that while robbers dread SARS, the feeling of confidence and safety should envelope the ordinary citizen when they encounter men of SARS.

    This is what advocates of #EndSARS should be agitating for: a more effective and friendlier SARS. It is possible!

    We cannot cut off our nose to spite our face. To end SARS, we must first of all end armed robbery! As long as there is still armed robbery in our society, we shall continue to have a need for SARS!

    However, the police hierarchy must do everything they need to do to save its badly battered image from perdition. They must as a matter of urgency reform not only the SARS but also the entire police force. They must be reformed to the extent that their presence should evoke nothing but a sense of pride and confidence rather than disdain in the ordinary citizen.

    Starting with SARS, those factors which make them feel like gods who have the unbridled rights to torture, brutalise and decimate human lives with reckless abandon must be removed. The word “Special” in SARS must be changed to read something like “Swift”, Swift Anti-Robbery Squad”. The “special” in their name seems to be getting into their heads and making them feel indeed special beyond the fight against armed robbery. They must learn that there is nothing more special about them beyond the mutual respect that is supposed to exist between them and the ordinary citizen.

    They seem to have taken this “Special” beyond the ordinary to the mundane. A situation where men of the SARS flagrantly abuse basic dressing codes in the name of wearing mufti shows that they believe they are above the norms of policing. It is disheartening to see men of the SARS in leather slippers menacingly wielding horsewhips, machetes, AK47s and barking out orders, threats and abuses at everyone and at no one in particular in areas that are otherwise cool and calm and no report of any incident.

    There is nothing “special” about SARS. They are just members of a police unit carved out for the main purpose of tackling armed robbery. That is all!

    This impunity with which they also operate has been taken a notch higher from the reports gathered from victims, and this stems from their psyche of feeling special. There is this general belief that once anyone is taken into the custody of SARS, the chance of that person being tortured, brutalized or even executed is high. Even petty thieves and common street urchins have had a bitter dose of such ill treatments.

    It is also believed that the SARS makes itself an easily available tool in the hands of politicians and highly placed members of the society to settle political scores or personal differences. This ought not to be so.

    The men and officers need to be properly kitted. There is nothing that shows them different from criminals except the bulletproof vest they wear which has the label of SARS.

    As it is today, SARS is a necessary unit of the police force despite all of its shortcomings. Rather than scrap it, we must take necessary and urgent steps to reform it to be at par with its counterparts in other parts of the world and to serve the people rather than trample upon them. When this is done, we would have #EndedSARS but not without creating a #NewSARS that would be the pride of all Nigerians.

    #Don’tEndSARS, #ReformSARS!

    —jrndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: Stjudendukwe

  • Senate joins calls for scrapping of SARS

    Senate joins calls for scrapping of SARS

    Senator Isa Misau, Bauchi-APC, on Tuesday lent his voice to the trending social media outcry against the activities of the Nigeria Police Force’s Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS.

    An hashtag #ENDSARS, calling for the scrapping of the police unit, trended on the social media over the weekend.

    Nigerians, who used the social media to recount their experiences with SARS operatives, listed allegations of extra-judicial killings, wanton arrests and dispossession of properties through physical assault and other intimidation tactics.

    Presenting the issue as a point of order, Mr. Misau said SARS has grown out of the authority of state police commissioners who are supposed to regulate their activities.

    He said, “According to the Police Act and regulations, the force Criminal and Investigation and Intelligence, force CID, is the highest investigating arm of the Nigerian police.

    And for effective and efficient administration, the department is divided into 14 sections of which the Special Anti-robbery squad, SARS, is one of them. SARS is supposed to be a section in each state command criminal investigation department with sole responsibility of handling armed robbery cases and answerable to the state commissioner of Police.”

    Relaying experiences of Nigerians in some of the petitions he received, the former cop hinged on dangers of keeping a unit of the police force which has placed itself above the law.

    “Mr. President, I have in the last few months received several petitions from my constituency against SARS. The complaints vary from extra-judicial killings, brutality, torture, arrest for bribe and other menacing conduct by the men of the unit.

    “Most of the tweets with the hashtag, EndSARS, reported several cases of harassment, and arbitrary arrest of Nigerian youths labelling them Yahoo Boys.

    “Mr. President, the complaints have ranged from how officers waylaid citizens at ATM points to how they often threaten to kill avowing they will get away with it. There are specific cases of how SARS officers allegedly murder citizens for declining to pay bribes.”

    Mr. Misau said the Senate must take a bold stand on the issue and end the operation of SARS.

    “It is dangerous for us to have a unit of the Police Force act as if it is above the law. We must now take a major decision to end SARS until a unit built around the rule of law and human rights observance is created by the police.”

    Mr. Misau condemned the police’s reaction to the series of allegations against SARS.