Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr John Bassey Abang has apologised to Okite family in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area over alleged extortion of N23,000 and harassment perpetuated by some officers attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Divisional Police Headquarters, Ogidi.
Abang, who also ordered SARS to quickly refund the money which was equally complied to since Friday, assured that the command would discipline the erring officers. Her action could be said to be in line with popular police maxim “Bail is free” as well as in line with Part 2 (section 7) of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which states that “A person shall not be arrested in place of a suspect.”
The Police Commissioner’s intervention followed a message dropped on a WhatsApp group, Police Stakeholders Partnership Forum (PSPF), by Mr Okite, an Onitsha- based legal practitioner and member of the group that his family members were arrested and harassed by SARS officers while pursuing a suspect.
“Men of SARS attached to Divisional Police Headquarters Ogidi in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State were allegedly pursuing a suspect, and according to them the suspect ran through my family compound in Ogidi (my family compound has no wall fence), when they couldn’t catch their alleged target, the men of SARS then arrested my two (2) nephews; Kosisochukwu Okite and Chukwunonso Okite insisting they must produce the alleged suspect who they claimed ran through my family compound.
‘The men of SARS hand-cuffed my two nephews and took them to Ogidi Police Station despite protestations by their parents. They also scattered their father’s shop, beat up my niece, Chisom Okite and tore her clothes leaving her naked simply because she was disuading them from taking away her brothers who are innocent.”
“On getting to the station those SARS men demanded 100,000 Naira as bail money from the boys’ father, Mr. Augustine Okite; apprehensive for the safety of his sons, he was literally forced to pay 20,000 Naira for their freedom.
‘The boys are home with their parents now after payment of 20,000 Naira.’ Meanwhile the cost of the damage the SARS men did to my elder brother’s shop is worth about 50,000 Naira. Please, kindly escalate this.
‘SARS men attached to Ogidi should be called to order and made to refund that sum of 20,000 Naira they extorted as bail money from parents whose homes they invaded for no just cause and pay for the damages they did to their shop,” Barr. Okite wrote.
Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Haruna Muhammad, who represents the Commissioner in the platform, quickly alerted his boss. The Commissioner of Police, it was learnt, promptly directed that the OC SARS Awkuzu be contacted and directed to identify the officers responsible and ensure they refund the money collected.
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