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Youths Protest Against SARS Operations In Rivers
Hundreds of youths in Rivers State under the auspices of the Niger Delta Non-Violence Youth Leaders Assembly (NDNYLA) Friday, staged a peaceful protests in Port Harcourt, condemning the activities of some operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the State Police Command.
The protesters marched through some majors streets in Port Harcourt with placards that read, “Akin Fakorede has turned SARS into something else”, ” IGP rise up to the occasion, Akin Fakorede must go”, “The activities of Akin Fakorede is creating bad image for the Nigerian Police”, amongst others.
Addressing newsmen at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Port Harcourt, coordinator of the group, Comrade Omachi Michael Chinasa, accused the SARS Commander, Akin Fakorede of being incapable of handling operatives under him.
Omachi said, “We want to state that the SARS Commander, Akin Fakorede is incapable of handling his men. We are being humiliated; our people are being killed. Our people have been raped and at the end of the day, the will come back and say it is our people that raped our people. Meanwhile, it is SARS people that are raping our people.
“They go with different kind of drugs in their pockets and go to search people’s houses. At the end of the day, they plant the drugs in people’s houses. They will plant those exhibits and arrest those people. They will deal with those people and at the end of the day, you bail yourself with hundreds of thousands of naira in our state. We will no longer allow it.
“For the sake of time, what we are saying today is that let the Federal Government, especially the President, Buhari, to come to our aid. Let the Inspector-General of Police come to our aid.”
Also speaking, one of the leaders of the protesters, Engr. Okocha Njobuanwu, demanded that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, set up a committee to investigate the activities of SARS operatives in the state.
Okocha said, “We are here today to register our displeasure with the activities of SARS in Rivers State. We are not against the Nigerian Police, we are not against security agents. What we are saying is that we have series of complains against SARS. His Excellency, Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike has also made some allegations against SARS.
“What we expect is for the hierarchy of the Nigerian Police, the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State to set up a unit to investigate these allegations. SARS is there to protect us but today we found out that SARS instead of protecting us, is killing us.”
