SARS NEEDS TO STOP THE ABUSE OF INNOCENT CITIZENS
AdvertisementThe wanton abuse of power by the officers of the special anti robbery squad (SARS) is becoming unbearable. How does harassing innocent Nigerians constitute as their job?
On my way to work yesterday the 20th of Nov 2017 on an okada on Erunwen road in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, a mini Suzuki bus overtook us and suddenly halted in front of the bike that was conveying me to work. Out of the bus came 3 armed men with SARS boldly written on their shirts pointing guns at us.
AdvertisementThe sudden stop of the bike made us fall at the middle of the road and in the process the hot silencer of the Okada burnt through my trousers and was burning my flesh. I was screaming for help so the bike could be taken off my leg but these “police officers” were more interested in bundling us into their bus.
I’m a certified Computer Programmer and web site designer and I work as a back-end admin for a top hotel here in Ikorodu. I also do other web related jobs freelance such as building websites for several clients. I have never involved myself in cyber crime of any sort. The revenue I make off my jobs keeps me humble as my needs are not much.
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After bungling us into the bus, with my leg badly burnt and bleeding, I asked them what crime had I committed? They asked for my phone, I asked them again, what crime had I committed, they promptly pointed their guns towards me. I gave them my phone because I’ve heard how they kill people who resist them recklessly and I was not looking to be a statistic.
AdvertisementThey begun driving all around aimlessly while checking our phones. They tried to open my Facebook app but my the data wasn’t on. Since they couldn’t get any info from FB, they decided to look at my photo gallery. When it seemed like the type of evidence they were looking for was not available and all he saw were my screenshots chats and he began to delete them. Delete?
At that point I became livid, Hello sir, those screenshots are back end admin usernames and passwords for the web designs of my clients. No! You don’t have the right to do that sir, but that infuriated them and they began punching and slapping me from all directions. The officer with my phone deleted my first photo folder and was moving to wipe out my whole gallery folder when I yanked my phone from him. They hit me harder pointing that they will kill me and dump me by the roadside and nobody will do anything to them. At this point I could not feel my toes as my burnt leg was bleeding out.
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I thought to myself that when i woke up that morning, dealing with the Nigerian police in this manner was not what i planned for. what was my crime again? Being a computer savvy youth with a phone and training myself to make a decent living with my skills.
AdvertisementI remembered that in the news recently some SARS officers while chasing a suspected Internet fraudster, Badoo at the Ogoja Market along LASU-Igando Road, had started shooting sporadically and in the process, a stray bullet hit 20-year-old Joseph in the head.
After hours of rounding up more innocent victims and seeing my phone was clean, they dropped me off at Erunwen Junction. With the amount of gun pokes and gun butt hitting it will be a miracle if there’s no internal injury. Every blood of the Nigerian youth that dies and has died based on the unprofessional conduct of these officers will speak today. These extra-judicial killing and harassment of innocent citizens is nothing short of a genocidal agenda to wipe a population of Nigerian youths. It’s a privilege to serve as an officer of the Nigerian forces. SARS STOP THE WANTON ABUSE.
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