#EndSARS: Anambra Police Brutality Victims and Endless Wait for Justice

By Joseph Ifeizu

‘Waiting for Godot’ is a play written by Samuel Beckett. The theme of the work tries to espouse a condition where people in their hopelessness rely on illusions, such as religion to give hope to a meaningless existence.

For the very many victims of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra State, their wait for the compensation meant to be recommended by the Anambra State Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality and other related offences, better known as the EndSARS Panel may have been too long that it could be equated to Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’.

In October last year, a nationwide protest that occasioned huge destructions in various towns across the country commenced. It was tagged ‘EndSARS protest’, and not even the preachments of the dangers of COVID-19 pandemic could stop the large gatherings of youths, who assembled in many towns across Nigeria to protest police brutality, especially as it concerned youths harassments by SARS operatives.

The EndSARS proponents later won, as the then Inspector General of Police, Mr Adamu Mohammed disbanded SARS operatives all over the country. There was also a recommendation for states to set up Judicial Panels of Enquiry to find out ways that operatives over reached themselves, so as to compensate victims and also punish erring persons.

In Anambra State, Governor Willie Obiano in what was described as proactiveness was about the first governors to set up a panel of inquiry, into police brutality in the state. This was on October 20, 2020, when the Anambra State Government, led by Chief Obiano inaugurated a 37-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry on SARS brutality in the state. The committee was charged to look into various allegations of police brutality and the extra-judicial killings carried out by the defunct SARS.

The members were drawn from various strata of the society, including; youths, students, religious and rights organisations and chaired by Retired Justice Veronica Umeh. Inaugurating the Panel, Gov. Willie Obiano promised to continue protecting the life and property of people of the state in order to ensure sustained peace and security.

Obiano said, the panel will receive and investigate the complaints of police brutality, relating to torture, high-handedness and alleged extra-judicial killings by SARS and police in the state. Evaluate evidence, present circumstances and other surrounding issues and draw conclusions as to the validity of the complaints, and also recommend appropriate sanctions and proffer solutions/recommend compensation and other remedial measures, where appropriate to the state government. The panel was given one month to submit its report.

By the terms of reference spelt out to the panel, the report was supposed to be submitted to the state government on November, 19 2020. But as at October 2021, no news of the submission of the report had been heard, just as the victims of police brutality, who suffered a lot of ill fate in the hands of SARS operatives have continued to wait for either financial compensation or otherwise.

Obiano, after the inauguration of the panel had announced that the sum of N200million had been set aside to compensate all that were involved in brutality, whose cases were found to be true, according to the recommendation of the panel.

THE RAZOR NEWS investigation showed that in all, Anambra panel received a total of 311 petitions, making it the panel with the highest petition in the entire country. The number of petition it was learnt also made it difficult for the panel to complete it’s work on time, especially as some members of the panel had expressed disenchantment with government over the funding.

A source said the original proposal was for members of the panel to receive stipends every sitting, but close to one month of sitting, “it became clear that the government was not ready to fund the sitting of the panel, and that was where the rancour began,” the source said.

A coalition of youth groups in the panel withdrew from it, accusing government of lacklustre attitude towards the panel and doubted it’s genuineness to treat the main cause of the EndSARS protest. In a press conference in Awka, the coalition of youth groups represented by Ifediora Chijioke Esq., Henry Chibuike Ugwu Esq., Mr. Osonwa Chukwuka, Comr. Ebelechukwu Ngini, Comr. Kas Chibuike Obiwuzie who addressed a press conference in Awka then said they were compelled to resign from the panel because government showed that it does not have the interest of those killed and brutalized at heart.

Reading an open letter they wrote to Anambra State governor, the youths said: “It is imperative to mention that Anambra State, under your (Obiano) watch and that of your predecessor, was the cynosure of police brutality, extortion, and even extrajudicial killings in Nigeria. The notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Awkuzu and numerous other Police outfits in Anambra State have become infamous around the world for outrageous, unconscionable, and iniquitous violations of the fundamental rights of Nigerians, including the right to life.

“We were impressed when the government constituted the panel to investigate cases of police brutality and recommend compensation to victims among other points in its terms of reference. Sadly, the sittings of the panel were characterized by inefficiency and poor organization because the Anambra State Government failed woefully to adequately provide for logistics for anything at all involving the proceedings of the panel. There was no funding to enhance clerical or secretarial functions of the panel, no provision for security or witness protection.

“We are however now convinced beyond peradventure that the Anambra State Government has no regard for the victims of the many human rights violations by the Police in the State. The government has totally ignored the panel and had simply setup the panel to play to the gallery. Many victims of abuse of police powers and other interested stakeholders have been communicating the panel’s secretariat or its members in a bid to know why the panel is no longer sitting despite more than 250 petitions which have been unattended to. All these inquiries have failed to yield concrete answers and the government despite being aware of the interest of the public is showing no signs of interest in the activities of the panel. We firmly refuse to be pawns in the game of the Government, so we hereby resign our appointments into the Anambra State Panel and completely dissociate ourselves from all the charade,” they said.

Meanwhile, THE RAZOR NEWS gathered that some members of the panel continued, even in the face of the reluctance of government to fund the panel. A member of the panel who begged not to be quoted said: “You were all there when the youths backed out of the panel. I do not blame them because they are youths. As for some of us, we have passed doing things for society only because we will get paid, so we decided to continue.”

On why despite being given just one month to submit its report, close to one year after, its report on recommendations were yet to be out, the member said: “It’s true that the Governor gave one month to complete the task, but you know quite well that Anambra has the highest number of petition, because SARS brutality was prevalent here, so he gave us another one month, and when we couldn’t finish he added another three months.

“Do not forget also that we had both logistics problems and others. The panel chairman had just lost and buried her father before she was appointed, then again, she lost her mother and yet again her brother, and these devastated her and also slowed down our work. You know also that we have to do a lot of investigations about the claims of the petitioners, before we can make recommendations.

A report released by a human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) in September 2021, and signed by the chairman of Board of Trustees of the group, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi alleged that in Nigeria, between 2015 and 2020, over 1,300 people were killed, 1,500 others injured, while thousands died indirectly from police brutality, about 10,000 were unlawfully arrested, while about 3,000 disappeared mysteriously and cannot be accounted for. The group stated that Anambra alone has a lion share of the number quoted.

The Group’s report could have been corroborated by the number of petitions received in Anambra State by the #EndSARS Panel, especially with the very gory pictures of torture painted by some of the petitioners.

Among the many petitions brought before the panel is that of Mrs Amala Uju Nwabudu, a resident of Umuanugo, whose husband of six years, Emmanuel disappeared after he was arrested by SARS operatives from Awkuzu. She said her husband was simply invited for questioning by the operatives, and that was the last time she set her eye him. Weeks turned into months, and months into days, but he never returned to her. Her attempt to get the operatives to say what fate had befallen her husband irked them to the point of accusing her of running guns for her husband, which he used to perpetuate ‘kidnapping business’. She was later arrested and intimidated into silence, and was only able to speak after the she heard of the constitution of the EndSARS Panel.

Another Victim, Dr Justin Ogo Nwankwo while appearing before the panel told the story of how SARS operatives ruptured his scrotum in the process of torturing him, after arresting him for a crime he knew nothing about. He said: “The incident happened in 2013. I was the manager of Upper Class Hotel in Onitsha, and I was also a PhD student then. We had rented out one of our rooms to a guest, who was properly checked in.

“In the morning, policemen came and searched the hotel and discovered some skulls in room 102, and the guest to whom we rented the room was not there. We told them that we duly recorded the guest before check in, and that same morning, we had taken our manifest of all people who were guest to the CID department as was the practice, but they refused to listen.

“We urged them to investigate the guest as only he could tell how the skulls got there, but there were more interested in parading us as kidnappers and human parts dealers. I had brutality, torture and near death experience for 81 days in SARS office Awkuzu, and I almost died. We (staff of Upper Class Hotel) were detained, tortured and released without any charge. I sustained damaged testicles, and ruptured scrotum, with lots of bodily harm. I am seeking compensation for demolition of the hotel and for my name to be cleared, and my properties paid for.”

He regretted that immediately after they were arrested, no investigation was carried out, nor any panel set, but the then state governor, Mr Peter Obi ordered the demolition of the hotel on the same day.

“The police knew that no one was missing in that room, the man who rented the room had a name and the manifest was submitted to the police. The person who brought the skull is the person who should be investigated. Under one day, there was an executive, a judiciary and all investigation carried out in one day and the hotel was demolished, all in one day.

“We were paraded to the world as people selling human parts and taken for torture. That to me as a PhD student then was enough blacklisting. They know you cannot as a hotel management ask to search the bag of guests. Our instinct is clear and we know that it was a plant. The hotel owner (Mr Bonaventure Mokwe) was set up by his adversaries and we (staff) were caught in the web,” he said.

More nerves chilling testimonies were entertained at the panel, just as many of them are up to date awaiting monetary compensation as to be recommended by the panel, but to this date their hopes have been dashed.

THE RAZOR NEWS caught up with Justin Nwankwo and asked if he was still hopeful about getting compensated for all his troubles, he said: “The Anambra EndSARS Panel was very encouraging when they started and we the victims of Awkuzu SARS were very hopeful especially upon presentation of our petition to the panel, but we do not seem to have hope any longer.

“What is happening now and the delayed justice therein is not what Anambra State Government under Chief Willie Obiano should handover to a new government. Let justice delayed not become denied in the EndSARS Panel. I am expecting a perfect and justiciable closure of that ugly chapter in my life,” he said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the panel, Justice Veronica Umeh (Rtd) who spoke with THE RAZOR NEWS said the panel has concluded its work, and that the report would be presented to the Governor soon. In a telephone conversation with the THE RAZOR NEWS, Umeh said, “What you are asking for will be ready soon. You know we had the highest number of petition in the country and we had to take time to sit on all of them. So, the report is almost ready, so just wait and we will present it to the governor and it will be ready for all to see.”

Our source added that: “You must also note that we as a panel has the powers to make recommendations, but the report is not final because another white paper committee will be set up to look at the findings and recommendation. Ours is to make recommendations, but government may decide to pay more than we recommended to a particular person or to slash what we recommended. As at now, we already have a draft of our reports and anytime from now, we are submitting it. Also note that some of the atrocities meted on people may not be left like that, the attorney general may have to take it up and prosecute some people, depending on our recommendation.

Considering that Anambra State governor, Chief Obiano has just five months to the end of his tenure, one may want to wonder if his white paper committee could be constituted, and recommendation paid to victims of police brutality and erring police officers dragged to court for prosecution before the end of his tenure.

One name that remained recurring in most of the petitions as far as police brutality in Anambra was concerned was that of CSP James Nwafor, who was the SARS commander during the period most of the atrocities were committed. Many believe that Nwafor has question to answer, regarding the disappearance of most people arrested by him, during his period as commander.

THE RAZOR NEWS visited Dr Uju Nworgu, the commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in Anambra State, on what plans she has to ensure that victims get redress through the prosecution of Nwafor and other Officers like him, and also the hope that Governor Obiano will be able to pay compensation to victims before the end of his tenure, but she was said not to be on seat. Calls, text messages sent to her phone were not answered not replied as at the time of filling this report.