Two petitioners before the Kwara State judicial panel of inquiry on #EndSARS protest, in Ilorin on Wednesday, narrated how they were tortured and humiliated by men of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The petitioners, Alhaji Kehinde Gobir and Alhaji Shuaib Jawando, who accused the SARS officers of the alleged high depth of impunity and human rights abuses, said they were arrested for alleged involvement on April 5, 2018, Offa robbery incident.
The people, who said they spent over 73 days in police detention in both Ilorin and Abuja, added that the police accused them of collecting guns from the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to allegedly participate in the robbery operation.
The petitioners, who denied being used by Saraki for criminal activities, told the panel that they were tortured and subjected to dehumanizing conditions in both Ilorin and Abuja police detentions.
They said they are only political supporters of the former Senate President, adding that the police threatened them to implicate Saraki during their alleged ordeal in detention.
The petitioners also accused the disbanded SARS officers of confiscating their property, which includes two Toyota Corolla, handsets and N250,000 collected before they were granted bail.
They also urged the panel to help them redeem their battered image in the eyes of the public as they had been suggested to unwarranted stigmatization and disgrace which they said had affected their livelihood and economic fortune.
“In view of the foregoing and in the interest of justice, we urge your esteemed office to intervene swiftly to this situation by returning our property as this action is tantamount to infringement on the fundamental human rights to be enjoyed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“We did not participate in any crime nor involve in any Offa robbery killing or having any criminal records whatsoever as being wrongfully alleged by the SARS officers. We urge the panel to do the needful by facilitating the quick recovery of our property”, the petitioners said.
In his response, the police counsel, Adekunle Iwalaye, urged the panel to dismiss the petitions in their entirety.
The chairman of the panel, retired Justice Tunde Garba, later adjourned the matter to January 13, 2021.
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