The effects of special anti robbery squad on Nigerian citizens

in #fundamentalrights7 years ago

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WHAT IS SARS ABOUT?
The special anti robbery squad (SARS) is one of the 14 units under the Nigeria Police Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID). The operations of SARS include arrest, investigation and prosecution of suspected armed robbers, murderers, kidnappers, hired assassins and others involved in violent crimes.
JUSTIFIED SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY
The SARS officers of the Nigerian police force helped the country a lot in a drastic reduction of cultisim and kidnapping in Nigeria and majorly in the niger-delta region of the country. I could remember growing up and was warned not to visit or pass through many places in my town or the fear of being molested on the way to school so we move in groups or better still the constant check of clothing colors worn so I won't be harassed by members of the opposite cult group or of the cult group that uses that colour as their trademark. But the point here is that due to the presence of SARS these crimes we're put to a minimal level and give peace back to citizens of the certain neighborhoods and the country at large.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
the SARS division of the Nigerian police were given the licence to kill "the major mistake made by the law" This increased their ego and pride overtime and also striped citizens of their fundamental human rights

  • Right to life: Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, execpt in execution of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria (Section 33 of the 1999 constitution).
  • Right to freedom of dignity of human person: Every individual is entitled to respect for the dignity of person and accordingly no person shall be subject to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.
    No person shall be held in slavery or servitude.
    No person shall be regarded to perform forced or
    compulsory labour (Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution).
  • Right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, tribe, creed or political opinion or association: No Nigerian shall be discriminated upon on the basis of his community, ethnic group, sex, place of origin and politician opinion.
  • Right to fair and equal hearing: In the determination of a person’s civil rights and obligations, every person shall be entitled to fair hearing within a reasonable time by the court or other tribunal established by law and constituted in like manner as to secure its impartiality (Section 36 of the 1999 constitution).
  • Right to private and family life The privacy of citizens, their homes and telephone conversations is guaranteed and protected.
  • Right to personal liberty: Every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty, save in the following cases and in accordance with a procedure permitted by law.
    Any person who is arrested or detained shall have the right to remain silent or avoid answering any question until after consultation with a legal practitioner.
    Any arrested or detained person shall be informed within twenty-four hours (and in a language he/she understands) of the fact and grounds of his arrest.
    Every person who is arrested or detained with accordance with subsection (1) of this section shall be brought before a court of law within reasonable time (Section 35 of the 1999 constitution).
    These fundamental human rights here are no longer in existence to the people of Nigeria, citizens are arrested for no right cause, tortured, falsely accused, no fair hearing from the court and killed. Nigerians suffer daily from the hands of this legalized "criminals" in the country raining terror consistently on innocent individuals. Several reports has been made by individuals but they have not been given attention to. An example of injustice of Sars on innocent citizens
    source opera.pulse.ng/news/local/sars-meet-the-police-unit-with-license-to-kill-id5523611.html
    Chidi Oluchi, 32, told AI he was arrested in Enugu before being
    robbed of his belongings and then tortured in SARS custody.
    “They told me to slap myself and, when I refused, they started
    beating me with the side of their machetes and heavy sticks.
    My mouth was bleeding and my vision became blurred,” said
    Chidi, who was released after he had parted with N25,500 to
    cruel SARS officials.
    Conclusion: I feel that this division of the police be scrapped out from the agency.