NGO to Wike: You can’t prove your allegations against SARS

In a swift reaction to Governor Nyesom Wike’s accusation that members of SARS, a police security outfit in Rivers State are the masterminds of kidnappings and robberies in the state, a non-governmental organization has said the governor has no evidence to substantiate his allegations.

The group known as the Initiatives for Transparency, Strategy, and Good Leadership expressed disappointment at the governor’s allegations, saying it did not agree with the theories of the Rivers State governor on the Special anti-robbery squad.

The group insisted that the governor did not provide enough evidence to collaborate the statement made by the governor during a press briefing on Wednesday.

President of the group, Mr. Chizzy Enyi, therefore, called on the Nigerian police not to be deterred and continue to do their duty in Rivers State.

The group President said: “It is very unfortunate that Governor Wike, instead of commending the Officer in Charge (OC) SARS, Akin Fakorode, he will always paint him black in the eyes of the people.

“Akin Fakorode is a man who has distinguished himself as a police officer. What transpired at Orazi was as a result of armed robbers attacking the men of the Nigerian police force, attached to SARS resulting in the death of one of the SARS operatives. And governor Wike never deemed it necessary to condemn the killing of the police officer by the armed robbers or commending the police officers or appraising their efforts. Look at what has happened at Oyigbo, and what is consistently happening at Omok. Governor Wike never made any press statement regarding the violence that erupted there on Tuesday neither has he made any statement about the death and the kidnappings that are happening at Emohua, Eleme and Ahoada areas,” he alleged.

On Tuesday, Governor Wike declared in a press conference at Government House, Port Harcourt, that most of the kidnappings and armed robbery taking place in the state were perpetrated by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The governor alleged that the embattled Rivers State Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) Commander, Mr Akin Fakorede, and his operatives had been indicted by an official Police Signal which, he said, indicated that they were responsible for the series of kidnappings and deadly robberies across the state.

Governor Wike alleged that the SARS Commander was planted in the state to sabotage the security architecture of the state and create an atmosphere of fear, adding that alleged criminal activities of Mr. Fakorede were uncovered by the Inspector General of Police X Squad Abuja deployed to the state after the squad busted the attempted kidnap of one Mr. Azumana Ifeanyi on September 11, 2017 at the GRA, Port Harcourt.

He said, “The Official Police Signal with the title: ‘Police Wireless Message’ and Reference Number DT0: 121030/09/2017 —INGENPOL-X-FHQ ABUJA TO-INGENPOL SEC ABUJA, noted that the squad received a distress call on the kidnap of Mr. Ifeanyi and immediately swung into action. According to the signal, they met the three SARS operatives robbing and a gun duel ensued. The operatives had taken Mr. Ifeanyi to a Fidelity Bank ATM where they compelled him to withdraw N500,000 as ransom.

“One of the SARS Operatives was killed, while Inspector Justice Nyeche who led the IGP team was injured. Most of the kidnapping and armed robbery taking place in this state are done by men of SARS. They use exhibit vehicles to operate. As the Chief Security Officer of the state, you complain, but they choose to play politics with crime.

“They fight crime in some state, but they refuse to fight crime in Rivers State. We are done with the elections, but they are using SARS to create insecurity in the state.

“As I speak with you, they will deny. But the SARS Operative who was killed was amongst those who raided the Rivers East Senatorial District Collation Centre. This man can be identified in the video as one of those who invaded the collation centre with Fakorede.”

The governor again alleged that the deliberate acts of violence being perpetrated by the police have been planned as part of the rigging process for 2019.

Hear him: “I have never seen a country where they politicise crime. It is very obvious that they want to give the impression that Rivers State is unsafe. They want to instill fear preparatory to declaring during the elections that there are so much killings.

“Authorities deliberately trying to destroy a whole state and you want the people to be happy. I will no longer write. Now is the time to take my case to the public, for the whole world to know what is happening,” he said.

The governor said that his administration has invested more than any other in security logistics, yet the Police worked against the state.