The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has continued to torment innocent citizens despite efforts of the government to reform the unit to be people-friendly in policing the society. The brutal activities of the SARS operatives have been generating public apprehension and complaints across the country. Invariably, a group of human rights activities under the aegis of the Rule of Law And Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), recently petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, seeking to know the whereabout of a 33-year-old man, Kingsley Tariuwa, arrested in January 2020 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
National Daily gathered that Tariuwa was arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on January 5 at a night club, Boss Lounge, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and has since then not returned to his family or be prosecuted by the police.
National Daily further gathered that the Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, had in the petition demanded the IGP to order comprehensive and impartial investigation into the case for justice to prevail. The ED also demanded that the IG directs that all the SARS operatives that carried out the arrest which led to the disappearance of Tariuwa be identified and be made account for the whereabout of the truck driver.
The group decried that the arrested truck driver has not been reached by his family while the SARS operatives who arrested him cannot account for his whereabouts. The further expressed perturbation that the Rivers State Command also declined to comply with a Rivers State High Court order to release Kingsley or produce him in court for prosecution. The group feared of the safety of the victim.
The petition sent to the IGP reads thus: “RULAAC was informed that the SARS operatives arrived at Boss Lounge at about 8.00pm on January 5, 2020. They were cleared by a Mobile Police Officer, identified as Elisha Hassan, who was in charge of security at the lounge on the day Tariuwa Kingsley was arrested.
“Another person who witnessed Kingsley’s arrest quickly alerted his brother. The victim has not met his family and the officers who arrested him have been unable to account for his whereabouts.
“The police in Rivers State have also refused to comply with a Rivers State High Court order to release him or produce him in court.
“Tariuwa Kingsley is married and has a five-month-old baby as at the time he was arrested. The baby will be one year by the end of July 2020.
“RULAAC finds this story so depressing. We are appalled at the temerity and sense of impunity by the SARS officer in saying that they have ‘travelled’ a young man just hours after they arrested him without any resistance and without him being charged to court for any known offence. “And the SARS officer said so without the slightest compunction, exuding confidence that nothing will happen.
“We wonder how many more such cases occur with less articulate relatives to press their case.”