As SARS continue to harass the citizens of Nigeria and extort money from innocent citizens of the country. It has become a serious issue and trending subject online.
A guy on Twitter (dejixing2) shared his experience with SARS in Ibadan;
He tweeted “One monday morning like that these 5 SARS officials came down to my office at egbeda with one Mr Olumide, a bros that I know, And started questioning me..If I knew the Mr Olumide, I told them yes
Mind you they were not on uniform o..One of them asked me when was the last..”
“The last time I saw the Mr Olumide, I told them like 3 weeks ago. I asked them what was the whole interrogation about and One of them asked me that he wants to buy a phone (iPhone 8 plus). I told him, I don’t sell phones mind you am a mobile software engineer. He said but I sold a phone (tecno cx) to the Mr Olumide 3 weeks ago”. I said yes, I needed some money for my house rent as at that 3 weeks ago I had to sell my personal phone to the Mr Olumide. So I could sort my house rent issue. They then proceeded asking where I got the phone”
“I bought it in the gsm village olugbede market. I opened my drawer and brought out the receipt of the phone as proof of ownership. One of them asked me to take them to the place I bought it. I said no problem I took them and Mr Olumide to where I bought the phone, I pointed to Mr Usman the person that sold the phone to me. He didn’t deny selling the phone, my mind was at rest hoping that am out of whatever trouble it is, not knowing what is gonna happen next.”
“The next thing they said was that the phone was a stolen phone and that they have been tracking the phone for about 4 months ago. I was shivering then I thought since I bought the phone and showed my receipt and where I bought it that I don’t have any problem. One innocent customer came to the Mr Usman shop that moment that he wants to buy something, he didn’t know they were on SARS, you know they didn’t put on their uniforms, he was chased out the guy started vexing for the embarrassment, the SARS started beating the guy.”
“Their team leader brought out his pistol and asked him to be chained, the whole market was gathered no one could asked what’s going on, we were cuffed too, me, Mr Olumide, and Mr Usman. They took all the Usman phones that he was selling about 52 phones, both new and UK used. The shop was being shared between two people the other occupant was a woman she was pregnant. So they wanted to empty her showglass too and she was claiming that those were not Usman phone”
“Their team leader gave this pregnant woman a serious slap, then the igbo traders interfered and explain that her stuffs different from Usman own. They packed us inside a Jeep and left”
“I was wondering what’s happening, they first of all took us to idimu police station, they got down I didn’t know what they went into the station to do we were still in the Jeep. Later they brought down the innocent customer and started beating him cause he insulted them earlier. At this point I was very scared, our phones has been seized at that moment about 30mins later they returned the customer back into the Jeep and started driving towards ogba area agege, I don’t really know roads like that, I kept wondering where these people taking to.”
“When we got to ojodu the customer was already crying and begging, that he didn’t know they were police. He was asked to pay 50k right inside the Jeep or he would be taken to the station, he was just crying. To cut the long story short they took him to the ATM spot and he withdrew 18k for them and they dropped him.”
“We proceeded on our own journey, mind you I didn’t know where our destination is, I was terrified like mad seeing the brutalities they have displayed. It was getting dark like 7, they kept driving discussing and laughing, the driver was playing Fuji music. At last we got to the station, they asked us to come dow, then i silently asked mr olumide where er are, he said ibadan. My head was blank dont know what to do, they marched us to their OC office and the man started asking us questions one by one. Our names, states, how the phone got to our hands, olumide said he knows me very well, he bought the phone from me, i told them i bought it from mr usman with receipt.”
“The OC asked me where I got the receipt, I told them from Usman, the OC now asked a funny question. He was like why did I ask for the initial receipt of the payment before buying, I was trying to explain naso I chop slap from one of the SARS that I should keep quiet, that I’m talking while their oga was talking. Usman was asked where he got the phone the guy said he got it from somebody a long time ago, that the owner just needed money he bought it. The OC said they should go and lock us up.”
“Where we disposed of our stuffs everything were taken into cell. The cell story is crazy, it is a small passage and 4 cells everywhere no space, each room has nothing less than 60-70 people. The passage was full, there was just one big OX fan at the entrance of the passage before entering the cell gate. We went through small questioning from their governor in the cell, they have marshal, governor and OC torture in the cell. We shall chop slaps and they searched us, they collect 1500 from me, I hid it inside my boxers so those police didn’t see it if not them for Don collect am. The governor told us to come inside cell no 1. Na stand we stand overnight, no space.”
“I never see that kind gathering before like sardines, we’re really suffering in this country. The following morning, they brought us out to write statement with slaps, Mr Olumide thinks he has someone in ibadan, his people came down to the station after some discussion and all. They paid 100k and Mr Olumide was released. The IPO came to meet me and Usman started asking us where we are from and so on, I told him I’m from kogi, he asked which part I told him egbira. Na so this man say all egbira are criminals this and that. That he would surely rot in jail. He was so serious as if it’s something personal, I was confused, he asked Usman, Usman is hausa but his mom is kogi too but ighala fortunately for Usman the IPO too.”
“They started speaking ighala language and started smiling, I just knew my village people are after me. They allowed me called my mum with IPO number, I wasn’t allowed to say much to mum on phone. They just told her to come to dugbe SARS station in ibadan. It was later in the cell Usman told me ebira and Ighala don’t like themselves. My mum came that second day she was asked to go and bring 200k, mum said she doesn’t have such amount, SARS sent her out of the station that she is not ready. I was there for a week. There’s this my uncle friend at Abuja that my mum called, he knows people, he called the commissioner of police oyo state. The next Monday, I saw two black Jeep came into the station and they summoned us, me and Usman. Two SARS people came to arrest us and their OC we’re also taken straight down to the commissioner office at ibadan.”
“I heard the OC telling them not to mention the third party at all in their explanation. After waiting for like two hours downstairs, they took us to the Commissioner office, it was a two stories building when I got there. There was one office next to the Commissioner office. I saw my mum and sister sitting there. I was relieved a bit, when we got inside office like palace. Seeing the OC the commissioner just asked us that who among the two of us is the mother presently. I raised up my hands i was shaking, i thought my own don finish, he asked where she is before I could talk the OC said they called her line it’s switched off. I quickly told the commissioner she’s outside and they sent for her.”
“So the commissioner started asking us questions, I explained my own part about the phone, he asked Usman and he explained. The commissioner was surprised, he asked me if I explained to the OC I said yes, the OC quickly denied instant that he doesn’t know about the case, that it’s until that same day morning that he’s just learning about it , I was terrified to even counter their claiy all I just wanted was to leave there alive. The commissioner apologized to my mum and asked me to be careful whenever I buy something”
“There was total silence, nothing the SARS couldn’t say anything, no complaints and they were threatening us before that owner of the phone was robbed.”
“We’re finished in this country, I was released that day, so basically what these people do is to get some phones from God knows where and note down their IMEI and serial numbers. Give it to someone to sell in a market and start tracking the phones just to arrest people involved and extoty them claiming it was robbed. This country is fucked mehn”
