Some youths in Anambra state have demanded for probe of key Officers-in-Charge of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state, accusing them of extra judicial killings, brutality, extortions and corruption.
The youngsters, adorned in black attire bearing placards of different inscriptions, marched to major streets of Awka, Ekwulobia, Nnewi and Onitsha, Wednesday, causing traffic gridlocks in each location.
The protesters equally demanded justices for victims of SARS in the state, even as they described the state SARS headquarters at Awkzu, Oyi local government area as “den of criminals” and “human blood banks.”
They appealed to the federal government and Police Inspector General to apart from scrapping the unit, probe their activities in the state so as to bring justice to the victims.
Mr Uchenna Ikwuani, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, alleged that SARS ‘unprofessional acts’ led to deaths of many youths including Justus Uchenna, Bolade Johnson, Uchenna Mezianya, Aliu Musa, and others.
“We can never forget the corpses dumped sometimes in 2012 at Ezu Rivers, which forms boundaries between Enugu and Anambra state. All the investigations conducted on it since 2012 it happened has not been made public. There are several reports of brutality and extra judicial killings involving SARS nationwide. They exploit people using POS and other banking transactions,” Ikwuani added.
He, however, hailed the Police Inspector General, Adamu Muhammed, for scrapping the outfit, but implored him and federal government to completely reform the police rather than naming a new outfit, Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT).
“We demand end to SARS. We demand probe of SARS officers especially the Officers in Charge (OC SARS) at Awkzu. We want complete police reformation not only by creating another unit. The new unit should also be made of refined and well educated police officers to avoid what happened before. All the former SARS officers should be sanctioned or probed and not to be included in the new outfit to avoid contaminating them,” he said.
