As agitation to #ENDSARS continues unabated, a well known Nigerian Painter, Excel Usman has narrated his ordeal how SARS forcefully collected N35,000 from him on his way to see his grandma in Kogi State.
According to Excel Usman, after harassing him and his cousin, the SARS officers who stopped them along Itobe Anyigba road alleged that as a painter, he is not supposed to be in the custody of N35,000 and as such, the best thing for Excel who was at a gun point was to handover the money to them.
Let us read Excel emotional story:
” For even overtaking their vehicle on the highway, these armed robbers in uniform gave my cousin and I a very serious fight on our way from a visit to our grandma (now late) in kogi state .
I took the case to the Kogi State Police command, met with the state PPRO, showed him the empty shells of the bullets shot at me and my cousin for no just cause, Showed him our car rim and tyre that they shot, but they denied knowing any of them!
They ceased my phone and wrist watch thinking I have camera on the wristwatch, they later returned my wrist watch and made away with my phone…
I had to destroy the phone with them using the IMEI number. I had only used it for two months and some days.
These criminals in uniform are still walking freely, Only God knows how many havoc they might have caused, and killings they might have done.
Ending SARS is not the solution, taming these wild dogs in human clothing parading themselves as officers of the Nigerian police force is the way out.
Now, there are no more stories of armed robbery because those doing it are the same ones policing us.
For not having road worthiness for my car, same SARS attached to the police station around Ojodu berger collected #35000 from me at gunpoint.
With the threat that they will accuse me of carrying a pistol in my car that as a painter, am not supposed to afford the car am using.
They went as far as telling me that no one will stand as evidence if they should take it up with me, and besides, that can only happen if am alive.
Can it ever be well with these criminals in the Nigerian police uniform?
Now, SARS has been disbanded, but those hoodlums who served in that unit, what has been done to them? No rehabilitation, no reorientation, nothing! And another unit has quickly been created!
Before the advent of SARS, which unit was in charge of robbery in the police?
U see why we have not gotten it right? It will go worse if these men of the underworld in police uniform are not properly trained.
Enough is enough for police brutality, Enough of this gross extortion by the police, Enough of innocent people paying for things they know nothing about.
In my own opinion, the only way out of this is to reform the police, or introduce state policing….”
