Group Protests Against Rivers SARS Commander …Condemns Fakorede, APC Chieftains’ Romance

Hundreds of youths in Rivers State under the auspices of the Niger Delta Non-Violence Youth Leaders Assembly (NDNYLA) last Friday staged a peaceful protest in Port Harcourt, the state capital condemning the activities of some operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the state Police Command.
The protesters marched through some major streets in Port Harcourt with placards that read, “Akin Fakorede has turned SARS into something else”, “IGP rise up to the occasion, Akin Fakorede must go”, “The activities of Akin Fakorede are creating bad image for the Nigeria Police”, amongst others.
Addressing newsmen at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Port Harcourt, Coordinator of the group, Comrade Omachi Michael Chinasa accused the SARS Commander, Akin Fakorede of lacking the capacity to handle operatives under his command.
Chinasa said, “We want to state that the SARS Commander, Akin Fakorede is incapable of handling his men. We are being humiliated; our people are being killed. Our people have been raped, and at the end of the day, they will come back and say it is our people that raped our people. Meanwhile, it is SARS people that are raping our people.
“They go with different kind of drugs in their pockets, and go to search people’s houses. At the end of the day, they plant the drugs in people’s houses. They will plant those exhibits and arrest the people as suspects. They will detain them, and at the end of the day, they bail themselves with hundreds of thousands of naira in our state. We will no longer allow it.
“For the sake of time, what we are saying today is that let the Federal Government, especially the President, Muhammadu Buhari, come to our aid. Let the Inspector-General of Police come to our aid,” Chinasa added.
Also speaking, one of the leaders of the protesters, Engr. Okocha Njobuanwu demanded that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris set up a committee to investigate the activities of SARS operatives in the state.
Njobuanwu said, “We are here today to register our displeasure with the activities of SARS in Rivers State. We are not against the Nigeria Police; we are not against security agents. What we are saying is that we have series of complaints against SARS. The state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has also made some allegations against SARS.
“What we expect is for the hierarchy of the Nigeria Police, the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State to set up a unit to investigate these allegations. SARS is there to protect us but today, we found out that SARS instead of protecting us, is killing us,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the embattled Rivers State Special Anti-Robbery Squad Commander (SARS), Mr Akin Fakorede  last Saturday joined his colleagues of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, to welcome the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the defeated Rivers APC Governorship Candidate, Dr Dakuku Peterside to the state.
The Tide learnt that Fakorede was at the foot of the aircraft receiving the politicians, and was allegedly caught on camera holding an umbrella for Dakuku Peterside to shield him from the rain.
It was gathered that the APC leaders were in the state to finalise plans for the party’s street protest in support of the embattled SARS commander.
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike had accused the SARS of alleged use of his operatives to promote kidnapping and armed robbery on both East-West Road and Port Harcourt-Owerri Road – two critical federal highways in Rivers State.
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 one Mr Ifeanyi and immediately swung into action.
According to the signal, they met the three SARS operatives in a robbery scene and a gun duel ensued.
It was gathered that the operatives had taken Ifeanyi to a Fidelity Bank ATM where they compelled him to withdraw N500,000.00 as ransom.
One of the SARS operatives was killed, while Inspector Justice Nyeche, who led the IGP Special Team was injured.
Further investigations show that Fakorede was caught on video invading the Rivers East Senatorial District Collation Centre on December 12, 2016, in an attempt to snatch the results of the district, and twit it in favour of APC.
The Tide recalls that only recently, Rivers SARS operatives were alleged to have murdered a taxi driver in cold blood in Emohua for inexplicable reasons.