Youths protest SARS harassment, extortion, alleged killings in Ibadan

Some youths took to the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday, in protest against alleged extortion, harassment, brutality, killing perpetrated by officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The protest comes on the heels of an order by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, banning personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) from carrying out routine patrols, stop and search duties, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks.

Monday’s protest in Ibadan saw the youths condemn the penchant of SARS officials to indiscriminately stop and search them, suspect everyone with a phone to be an Internet fraudster, popularly called Yahoo boy, and threaten to kill them if they fail to provide requested sums of money.

Displaying injuries suffered from brutality and threats alleged inflicted on them by SARS officers, the youths asked that the outfit be totally scrapped.

Chorusing “EndSARS”, “We don’t want SARS”, the youths lamented that SARS had abandoned their primary duty to tackle armed robbery for chasing youths with mufti and guns.

When the protest train to the front of State Secretariat gate, Ibadan, one of the protesters, Mr Gideon Okikiola, recounted that his phone was collected at Agbowo area of Ibadan by SARS officials who said it was unbelievable for him not to be a Yahoo boy.

Gideon, who said he was a student and programmer, bemoaned that the SARS officials extorted money from them which was unaccounted for or remitted into coffers of government.

“SARS collect money from us which is not brought into the coffers of government. SARS is killing our youths. My friend was killed by SARS in Lagos yesterday.

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“They collect our phones. Yesterday, they stopped me at Agbowo to collect my phone and wondered why I am not a Yahoo boy,” Gideon said.

Another protester, Toheeb Aliu recounted that he parted with N270,000 in his recent experience with SARS.

“We want an end to SARS. We want an end to their stop and search. They harass you once you have a phone. They chase you with guns, threatening to shoot, but fail to chase armed robbers.

“They have killed some of us with the notion that all youths are Yahoo boys. They collect our motorcycles and extort money from us. In fact, they collected N270,000 from me recently,” Toheeb said.

Addressing the protesting youths in front of State Secretariat, Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Sunday Odukoya said he expected the implementation of Sunday’s order by the Inspector General of Police barring SARS from the stop and search operations.

When the protesters alleged that SARS still operated in some areas of Ibadan, on Monday, Odukoya admonished the youths to gather credible information in such regard and forward to the police authorities.

Noting that the police set up regularly meted out disciplinary actions to erring officers, Odukoya advised the youths to petition the police authorities to seek redress for human abuses.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE