Youths in Rivers State, yesterday, in their numbers took to the streets of Port Harcourt to protest alleged brutality by operatives of the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, on the Senior Special Assistant to Rivers State Governor on Social Media, Mr Marshal Obuzor.
The SARS operatives, it was gathered, last Monday, around Popular Mandela Car Wash at the Old GRA, Port Harcourt, allegedly cornered Mr Obuzor, manhandled him and used machetes and rods to inflict injuries on him.
Addressing the protesters, the victim, Obuzor said that all Rivers indigenes have been affected directly or indirectly by the illegal activities of SARS.
He said: “In public view, they (SARS operatives) used machetes and rods to beat me and seized my phones. They repeatedly threatened to kill me. Even the government official who intervened was threatened with death.
“I was surprised that SARS had gotten to this stage where they don’t care that people are watching,” Obuzor said.
He submitted a petition to the Rivers Police Commissioner demanding an end to SARS brutality across the state, adding that enough was enough.
Also, Adokiye Ogunobere Mujiton, who is the Rivers State Publicity Secretary, National Youth Council of Nigeria, who represented the State President of NYCN, Mr Sara-Igbe Sukubo, at the protest march, called on the Rivers State Police Command to stop the illegal activities of SARS, noting that Rivers youths would no longer tolerate their acts of brutality.
He said: “Rivers youths, under the aegis of NYCN, Rivers State, have written to formally register our protest on the illegal activities of operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, F-SARS, across the 23 local government areas of the state.
“Many Rivers youths have been killed, maimed and dispossessed of valued possessions by F-SARS operatives in the last six months. The frequency of these illegal acts necessitated this petition.
“We urge you to comprehensively intervene by investigating all complaints against F-SARS operatives in the state and prosecute erring operatives.”
