Good morning all, i guess it's been a great night even though i've found sleep difficult to come by, little wonder did i resort to catching up with the usual fun of writing an article especially as my eye lids have ensured I don't relax those tired and weak bones of mine in a sleep but all the same, I guess i'm fine and good to go.
As you all know, somewhat last year here in Nigeria was filled with a lot of reactions in terms of the too many problems we were faced with. The land we were all born into and have all come to know as a land of peace was suddenly turned into a land soaked with far too many innocent blood of her citizens whose cry could still be heard even for times indefinite from their graves which were as a product of that unfortunate cold hands of death they were subjected to by the so called strongest unit of the Nigerian police force called SARS.
What then is SARS?
Just as the spelling appears, one especially a non Nigerian would for sure give its meaning and definition as "Special Acute Respiration Syndrome". Lolzz, that name sounds so familiar at the global stage considering what it looks like as a contagious global disease which it was associated with in the times past but alsas, what we are trying to look at here is SARS as a unit of the police force in Nigeria.
SARS however can be difined as that unit of the Nigerian police force that is, 👉 the Special Anti Robbery Squad that is charged with the responsibility to combat a high rate of suspected criminal activities within the shores of the entity called Nigeria.
At first, it yielded a very positive results as issues regarding all manners of criminal activities and cultism were all laid to bare by these combat ready and fiercely looking police men on mufthy who ensured a zero tolerance to corruption that were seen from how they cleansed the entire land of such unwholesome activities and as such, restored the citizens hope and trust once again.
At first, spirits were lifted as many a man and woman would move freely at any time such an individual deems fit without any fear or favour for there was maximum security all over the place which was as a resulf of a well refined and defined priority, goals and standards that these men on uniform have been able to exhibit.
Hero turned villian
Several years have passed since the inuguration of the SARS and the good jobs they've done in the country, had they fallen from being the usual heros we all knew and sang their praises to the villians we don't want to set our eyes upon even for anyform of repentance if the need be.
Unfortuately as time would fly, these men (SARS) suddenly left their roles and duties of giving the first protection to the citizens on every distress call and even became the torns in our flesh.
During this period, the nation who already was on a serious setback security wise also had the issues of SARS to contend with as the too many complains and comments across the social media proved very vital for people to demand an end to the unfortunate romance and eventual marriage with SARS.
SARS versus the Advanced Free Fraudsters locally known as Yahoo-Yahoo boys
Of a truth and in the deepest sense of reality, all forms of fraudulent activities should be shuned and frowned at but the obvious truth here is the fact that hence there are such illegal activities such as the advanced free fraud, it was never the duties of these SARS men who deemed it fit to use their government given power to abuse, dehumanize, threathen, kill, mime and request money from anyone they see walking on the streets especially when it was obvious such a person was well dressed or perhaps, has a little car he uses to navigate his way through every nooks and crannies of the decayed and ramsackled road networks. It was rather, the duties of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission(EFCC), a body that was brought into existence as a result of the constitutional amendment in 1999 and was charged with the responsibility to investigate and arrests persons with all manners of questionable afluence and suspected property ownership and an unverified means of livelihood, including money laundering of any sort.
But what then have we seen about SARS with respect to the EFCC if not a total assumption of their own duties to arrest, unlawfully detain and of course kill even the innocent ones in that process that spiked the nationa wide protests that demanded an end to them. the usual allegation by these SARS men on uniform is that such a person is a fraudster and as such would demand a randsome from such a person forcefully if he still values his life and wishes to continue as a living soul. What an absolute cruelty isn't it?
The demands of the nation wide protests and the way forward.
The disgraceful and shameful aspect of these SARS men gave rise to a nation wide outburst which pressurized the government to disband the SARS team and allow just the normal police much room to function well and discharge their duties properly.
It was victory at last for the people
The government at this stage was a little bit relunctant in assenting to the citizens requests hence a continued protest that lasted for almost a period of one month (1 month). As the pressure mounted even more, the government would at last yield to the people's cry of help and disbanded the police unit called SARS and replaced it with another SARS like body called the Special Weapons And Tactics Team(SWATT) which the people rejected still.
Many days of negotiation have passed and the government on the second time of asking yielded again to the people's demands by ensuring that none of it or anything like it was allowed a place in the polity of the country anymore and such declaration and makeshift ensured that life returned back to normal as everyone went about their normal engagements in life.
The Nigerian government at all levels were dealt a deadly blow
As situations returned back to normal, the government was however faced with too many daunting tasks and a mountain hill to climb. The breakdown and shutdown of all forms of economic activities that was caused by the demonstrations ensured that the government lost several billions of dollars ($) in their supposed and projected earnings that never came to be as much as the several millions of naira it has also spent rebuilding most of the police stations that were razed down to ashes in the inferno. I really do blame the government's insensitivity and less proactiveness in condescending itself to the people by acting very fast in line with the people's demand. How unthinkable such dull move by the government would later cost them?
This early morning news *see the tittle*
Yes we all knew it and saw it coming and as it were, the Nigerian government under the direction and chairmanship of the inspector general of police Mr Akali Baba Usman has now revived what every Nigerian sees as the notorious unit of the Nigerian police force for their miming, extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses reinstated once again and with these so called reforms and a new sets of standard of operations (SOP).
The force's new standard of operations stipulated and highlighted below👇👇👇
That no SARS man or personnel is allowed to interfere in any civil law
That no SARS man is allowed to interfere in cybercrime
That no SARS personnel is allowed to conduct a stop and search except in some critical situations when there was a distress call of any suspected armed robbery incidence from either the victims or other members of the public.
That no SARS man is allowed to interfere in any social/relationship matter or cases. (Either marital relationship or just the normal boy friend girl friend relationshipS.)
That no SARS man is allowed to be involved in a normal commercial matters like debt recovery.
That no SARS man is allowed to arrest citizens on a normal count charge except when such a citizen was found guilty of armed robbery.
Closing thought
Whether we like it or not, we must learn to know that "whoever that sells a dog and bought a monkey with the proceed of the dog's sale, let him bear it in his mind that a four legged animal that squates is still in his house". Though the police's chief has through his media and publicity secretry made it known that "any form of harassement by any of its officials should be reported with immidiate effect to the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), department of operations and has provided the following numbers to call when such becomes the case viz:
080370025670- IGP X -SQUAD
09026900729
08078662130
08174041000
09032278905-SMS Only
09035621377- WhatsApp Only.
Now that you all have the numbers to call when you are being harassed by these SARS men, what then is your take on the police's chief reinformation and a reinstatement of the defunct deadly SARS outfit? Do you think we can trust them going by our ordeal in their deadly hands?
Comments pls. I'd like to hear you all. thank you for reading through.
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Header image @ unsplash.com
I will patiently wait for the outcome of this new set of police. I will see if there is truly a change or they are still their formal selves. I have no belief that it will be better though