By Tony Okafor, Awka
A human rights lawyer, Justus Ijeoma,has decried the unwholesome activities at the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, Anambra State.
He said the Monstrous Special Anti Robbery Squad( SARS) that was proscribed about three years ago by the police authorities following nation-wide protests by youths has resurrected at the RRS, Awkuzu, Anambra State.
Ijeoma spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Awka, the Anambra State capital when he appeared for his client Nnamdi Emeh charged by the police of various criminal offences including impersonation, money laundering and illegal possession of arms.
Emeh, a serving corps member was working as an IT consultant to Anambra State Police Command, and was attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu.
It was alleged that Emeh using his IT skills and knowledge of police operations had used an anonymous blogger to reveal alleged attrocious activities of police, especially those of the defunct Awkuzu SARS police station.
But Ijeoma while speaking with our correspondent on Tuesday said the police were just trying to use his client’s case to distract the public from the weighty allegations that had come up with the operations of the officers and men at Awkuzu SARS.
The rights lawyer said, “The court did not sit. The matter was slated for hearing for application to vary the bail earlier granted to the defendant( Emeh), but court did not sit. We were asked to come back on Tuesday, the 27 day of this month for ruling on the application to vary the bail earlier granted.
“And the matter has been stepped down for hearing on the 4th day of October.
The conditions set by the court in terms of the bail granted, one of which is that the defendant should deposit his international passport with the registrar of the court.
“Incidentally, the defendant’s international passport is in the custody of the police ( the prosecution). We made application to inform the court that we cannot deposit what we do not have. So we brought application asking the court to vary that bail by either expunging it or making the submitting of the international passport, subject to releasing of same by the police.
” If they can’t release it to us we cannot deposit anything. It is either the court expunges that term or court can vary, saying deposit it when they release. Once that is done the defendant will be released. We have perfected the bail, practically just that that term is the only glitch we are having.
Continuing, Ijeoma said, “The defedant has taken plea before the court and he pleads not guilty. We cannot preempt the court,but I hold the view that defendant is not liable to the charges preferred against him .
“The police are just trying this case to distract the public, the Nigerian people from the weighty allegations that have come up with the operations of the officers and men at Awkuzu SARS which was buried sometime in 2020 but resurrected in another name: Rapid Response Squad or whatever they call it.
“But practically, it’s SARS( Special Anti Robbery Squad) which was dead, resulting from the ENDSARS activities that has resurrected. So, the allegations that are in the public against them, that’s what they want to distract the people from.
“The defendant is an innocent Nigerian; a Youth Corps member who has invested his youth judiciously in making sure that criminals are apprehended an prosecuted.
