Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigerian Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)
- Ernie J. Burgher and SitiTalkBlog
- Aug 1, 2016
- 6 min read
Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Vanguard, Nigeria
Click here to watch SitiTalkTV Series: Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigerian Police SARS: “For the Love of Chibuike”- Part 1
Click here to watch SitiTalkTV Series: Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigerian Police SARS: “For the Love of Chibuike”- Part 2
Click here to watch SitiTalkTV Series: Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigerian Police SARS:“For the Love of Chibuike”- Part 3
On May 18, 2016, 22 year old Chibuike Edu was accused of a crime he never committed. He was allegedly willfully tortured for days by the Nigerian Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Enugu . He died 10 minutes after he was taken to the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane by SARS and the Executive Director of Integrated Chemicals Industry Ltd (INTECIL). Late Chibuke worked at INTECIL where allegedly, he was falsely accused of theft by the Executive Director and was unlawfully arrested, and subsequently, was brutally tortured by SARS, which led to his death.
The Nigerian Press published late Chibuike’s case and his case is supposedly being investigated by “The Nigerian Human Rights Commission”. Amnesty International is also aware of this case and is performing their independent investigation. Like all other cases of extrajudicial killings by the Nigerian SARS, Chibuike’s case is yet to be investigated by the Nigerian Police, and the SARS killers so far have walked free and have never been charged for the alleged willful torture and death of 22-year old Chibuike Edu.
The Nigerian SARS is one of the 14 units under the Nigeria Police Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department. Their operations include arrest, investigation and prosecution of suspected armed robbers, murderers, kidnappers, hired assassins and others involved in violent crimes. However, based on their operational records so far, they do not appear to care much about respecting The Nigerian constitution and the rights of every citizen and their human rights or preserving the sanctity of human lies as a basic principle.
“I went there and found his glasses on the ground” father of Chukwuemeka Matthew Onovo told Amnesty international as he reported the fact that his son had been shot and killed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) . “Police should give me my son dead or alive” mother of Chigozie Ejike told local reports as she reported the disappearance of her son from police custody. The voices are too many but clearly not loud enough. Amnesty international reports show that the Nigerian Police Force (NFP) is responsible for “hundreds” of extrajudicial executions, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances every year. The majority of cases go uninvestigated and unpunished. The families of the victims usually have no recourse to justice or redress and the worst is many do not get to find out what exactly happened to their loved ones.
It is a fact that the crime rates in the country are high and terribly annoying, but it doesn’t give SARS the authority to falsely accuse and torture the innocent in their attempt to get forced confession and ultimately commit hundreds to thousands of extrajudicial killings over the years. It strongly goes against the prosecutorial Bible-based principle that; “it is better to have a million guilty people roam the streets than one innocent person suffer for a crime.” With all these killings innocent people will suffer from it and it is a huge violation of the human rights of the accused.
Reports from Amnesty international on the Chukwuemeka Matthew Onovo’s case carry eyewitness reports, stipulating that the victim carried no weapon on him and was a boy 22 years of age. In the Chigozie Ejike’s case he was tortured until he died and it took three months for the family to discover of his death because he disappeared from police custody, he was a boy 19 years of age. From both cases we see boys in their prime, caught in difficult circumstances and the worst is given to them and their families.
SARS isn’t only guilty of shooting people; Amnesty international reported cases of suspects who were tortured till death while in detention. In other cases, accused are victims of enforced disappearance. The police tell the families the accused has been transferred to a different police Station or released on bail, but have no documentation to confirm it, whereas the dead body is lying in an unknown place.
While the use of force and firearms may sometimes be permissible when making an arrest or preventing a person from escaping, the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement officials make clear that firearms cannot be used unless certain additional requirements are met, including as a preliminary matter that there exists a grave or imminent threat of death or serious injury. Principle 9 of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force And Firearms states.
Nigeria’s Constitution and the Nigeria Police Force Order 237 (Rules for guidance in use of firearms by the police), however, provide for much wider grounds for the use of lethal force Than is permissible under international law and standards. These sections are being abused by some police officers (SARS) to commit, justify and cover up extrajudicial executions.
In August 2015, the former Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase split the Special Anti-Robbery Squad into two units with the objective of checking human rights abuses. Then, the police administration stated that they were “doing everything possible” to check ongoing human rights abuses of the Nigerian Police, especially SARS, and claimed that they had “revisited the operational method of SARS across the country either at the federal or state level.”
Fast forward to 2016, the illegal operations of the Nigerian Police especially the SARS have worsened, and these include illegal arrests, false accusations, physical assault, torture and ultimately extrajudicial killings. SARS usually targets the lower income individuals and the downright poor; those whom they consider the “voiceless” and “powerless” and in their opinion, those who do not have the political or economic clout to challenge the injustices meted on them by the Nigerian Police. So they maim and kill, and walk free with no consequences.
On June 9, 2016, Vanguard Nigeria reported that The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, court in Abuja, Nigeria, :has imposed a fine of $3.3 million on Nigeria over the extra-judicial killing of eight citizens in the Apo District of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. The regional court ordered the country to pay compensatory damages of $200,000 to each of the family of the deceased killed and $150,000 to each of the injured by a combined team of soldiers and operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, during a raid of an uncompleted building at Apo Area of Abuja.” Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/06/ecowas-court-fines-nigeria-3-3m-extra-judicial-killings/
However, there has not been demonstrated will or a constructive design to earnestly investigate and tackle the criminal elements within the Nigerian Police Force, especially the SARS unit, and to charge and prosecute those who have been accused of extrajudicial killings. So many lives have been lost at the hands of a brutal Police Force such as the Nigerian Police, sometimes referred to as the "Criminal Force", and yet little to nothing has been done.
The Nigerian President, former renowned dictator, Retired General Muhammadu Buhari, has been virtually silent about continued and increased extrajudicial killings by the Nigerian Police.
It is time for Nigerians and the world at large to begin to raise their voices against extrajudicial killings by the Nigerian Police!
References:
http://punchng.com/family-seeks-justice-factory-worker-tortured-death-police/
http://www.naijaurban.com/read-what-special-anti-robbery-squad-sars-did-over-lagos-robberies/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/
http://newtelegraphonline.com/extrajudicial-killings-story-of-sars-and-robbery-suspects-1/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria_Police_Force
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/187989-police-ig-splits-anti-robbery-squad-sars-to-check-abuses.html
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/03/r-e-v-e-l-e-d-goes-inside-sars-walls/
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Ernie J. Burgher is a bi-lingual freelance journalist and author, and speaks English and French. Ernie writes for SitiTalkBlog.
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SitiTalkBlog is focused primarily on Africa's socio-economic and political issues, scientific and medical topics, as well as global current issues and news. SitiTalkBlog also highlights positive entertainment as long as it has the potential to cause us to think and take positive actions. The blog is geared towards sensitizing people to take constructive actions and engineer practical solutions
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