There’s yet another report of SARS brutality on our desk, and it is about a Nigerian man identified as Emmanuel Sunday Opeyemi a.k.a Awilo, who reportedly died of internal bleeding after a fall following a chase by SARS officers.
According to the online sources, the incident occurred at Tarmark, Abeokuta, around the overhead bridge where SARS officers had harassed a military officer mistaken for a yahoo boy, last week. The deceased was in the area when the officers returned there to deal with those who prevented them from harassing innocent people, on that fateful day.
Opeyemi who fled upon seeing the officers, reportedly hit his ribs against an iron gate and died later as a result of internal bleeding. Social media users are already penning down tributes to him;
Bosun Eleniyan wrote;
Am fed up of this country,this man die cos he was chase by SARS officers for none reasonable offense.
He hit his right rib with iron gate leading to internal bleeding.pls our government🙏
🙏
🙏
END SARS
Few days ago, it was also reported that a family of Kazeem Akeem, a ticket officer at the New Market, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, were thrown into mourning following his death as a result of alleged torture by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Ogun State Police Command.
Akeem had been arrested alongside some gamblers, but thereafter, the state police command was said to have accused the 32-year-old of robbery, adding that he took ill in custody and died at a hospital.
The victim was said to be an executive member of a tricycle riders’ association operating around the market and was in charge of issuing tickets to the riders. His trouble was said to have come when he staked his money and phone at a gambling joint in the market on March 31, 2018, in anticipation to win an expensive phone.
He was said to have won, but was approached by the loser to assist in the return of his valuables, a request Akeem reportedly declined. The loser was said to have left in anger and returned after some minutes with some SARS operatives, who picked up the gamblers and Akeem.
A friend of the deceased, simply identified as Damilare, had alleged that the operatives initially detained the suspects at a police station around the market. However, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said Akeem and others were actually arrested for robbery, adding that they allegedly confessed to the crime.
He denied that the victim was tortured to death, but that he took ill in police custody and was taken to a hospital, where he died.
