According to Abunike, whose petition was the first to be heard by the judicial panel; the SARS operatives allegedly brutalised and stripped him of all his belongings.
He told the nine-man panel headed by Justice Doris Okuwobi (rtd) that his travail began when he was detained in 2012 at the SARS office located at Ikeja, Lagos, over a false allegation of theft levelled against him by his former employer.
He said: “I currently earn a living running errands for people. The incident happened in 2012, I worked with a company for four and a half years, I had stated that I wanted to resign and my then boss authenticated my resignation.
“After some days I was called to come to the office for some clarification and I was promptly arrested. First, by police at the Ojo Police Station and from there I was taken to SARS.
“I asked what happened and I was told that my boss said something happened,” he said.
Abunike told the panel that he was physically manhandled by the SARS personnel in trying to force him to confess to an offence he did not commit.
“I was beaten, stripped, and paraded by SARS around the Alaba International Market as a thief; my head was broken and lost a lot of blood. I sustained so many injuries; and I still have the scars.
“I spent about 47 days with SARS; tortured and hung upside down. SARS officers extracted two teeth from my mouth during the torture.
“I remember the names of two of the SARS officers – Insp. Sunday alias Baba Ijapa and ASP Haruna.
“When my mother and wife came to see me, the SARS people started beating my wife and my mother. One day, my mother visited and she told me that everything is gone.
“They took all my property – My house, phones, cars, generator, everything. I was told by SARS to confess; and my former boss said that I must produce the missing goods and if I don’t, I will die there.
“I just said my boss is not God and I never confessed to committing any crime,” he said.
Abunike told the panel that he was eventually released from SARS custody, and he subsequently filed a violation of Fundamental Human Rights suit against SARS at the Federal High Court Lagos.
According to him, Justice Ibrahim Buba gave a ruling in his favour ordering SARS to pay him N10 million as damages.
He, however, said that efforts to get the N10 million compensation awarded by the court had been futile.
“Garnishee proceedings were instituted and the banks said that they do not have any SARS account.
“My belongings have not been given back to me. The only thing we have gotten back through legal processes is my landed property documents through a judgment issued by Justice Okiki-Olu Igile in Badagry.
“The person they sold the property to said I threatened his life and he took me to a Magistrate court and that suit was dismissed,” he said.
He said that he also sued the person inhabiting his property at the High Court for recovery of his property and also got judgment in his favour.
He noted that he had not been found guilty of any crime by the justice system; and that he was yet to receive his N10 million court-ordered compensation.
After listening to him the panel adjourned the hearing of Abunike’s petition until Nov. 3 to give their findings
He told the nine-man panel headed by Justice Doris Okuwobi (rtd) that his travail began when he was detained in 2012 at the SARS office located at Ikeja, Lagos, over a false allegation of theft levelled against him by his former employer.
He said: “I currently earn a living running errands for people. The incident happened in 2012, I worked with a company for four and a half years, I had stated that I wanted to resign and my then boss authenticated my resignation.
“After some days I was called to come to the office for some clarification and I was promptly arrested. First, by police at the Ojo Police Station and from there I was taken to SARS.
“I asked what happened and I was told that my boss said something happened,” he said.
Abunike told the panel that he was physically manhandled by the SARS personnel in trying to force him to confess to an offence he did not commit.
“I was beaten, stripped, and paraded by SARS around the Alaba International Market as a thief; my head was broken and lost a lot of blood. I sustained so many injuries; and I still have the scars.
“I spent about 47 days with SARS; tortured and hung upside down. SARS officers extracted two teeth from my mouth during the torture.
“I remember the names of two of the SARS officers – Insp. Sunday alias Baba Ijapa and ASP Haruna.
“When my mother and wife came to see me, the SARS people started beating my wife and my mother. One day, my mother visited and she told me that everything is gone.
“They took all my property – My house, phones, cars, generator, everything. I was told by SARS to confess; and my former boss said that I must produce the missing goods and if I don’t, I will die there.
“I just said my boss is not God and I never confessed to committing any crime,” he said.
Abunike told the panel that he was eventually released from SARS custody, and he subsequently filed a violation of Fundamental Human Rights suit against SARS at the Federal High Court Lagos.
According to him, Justice Ibrahim Buba gave a ruling in his favour ordering SARS to pay him N10 million as damages.
He, however, said that efforts to get the N10 million compensation awarded by the court had been futile.
“Garnishee proceedings were instituted and the banks said that they do not have any SARS account.
“My belongings have not been given back to me. The only thing we have gotten back through legal processes is my landed property documents through a judgment issued by Justice Okiki-Olu Igile in Badagry.
“The person they sold the property to said I threatened his life and he took me to a Magistrate court and that suit was dismissed,” he said.
He said that he also sued the person inhabiting his property at the High Court for recovery of his property and also got judgment in his favour.
He noted that he had not been found guilty of any crime by the justice system; and that he was yet to receive his N10 million court-ordered compensation.
After listening to him the panel adjourned the hearing of Abunike’s petition until Nov. 3 to give their findings
from 1st news...
Are we ever going to hear the last of this SARS brutality.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it
DeleteThey should pay him all they took from him. The stupid former boss should suffer too. The foolish baba Japan and haruna should be hanged upside down. Their blokos should be flogged every morning for two weeks with cane
ReplyDeleteJust imagine. These days officers are animals, even animals are better than they are. They take out their frustrations on innocent citizens.
ReplyDeleteI hate the world, I hate humans, there is no justice in this cruel world, he has gone to court and won , still no justice, the matter had been adjourned to November, they’ll keep adjourning until some of the parties involved die or get tired, it’s sad and frustrating, the judiciary needs a reform too ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
ReplyDeleteJust imagine!!! Took away his house and property over what??? God will purnish such wicked boss and Sars
ReplyDeleteThe stories are too painful. I think I have to stop reading some of this horrible acts for my own sanity. It is beginning to affect me
ReplyDeleteWickedness lives in the heart of some humans.
ReplyDeleteThe sight of blood gives them pleasure?
Eniyan ma Nika o
GOD wey create human beings talk say dem wickedness na desperate type self
DeleteWhy una no believe am?
And some still wonder why these protests happened?
ReplyDeleteWith disdain and a joy that we try to mask , we keep asking all over our "WhatsApp groups"....."what did the protesters achieve"?
Shame on us for secretly waiting and hoping for a negative outcome;
We better let our breaths out!
I am delighted that we have been let down.(I am almost tempted to use the tongue out emoji). These exceptional ladies and gentlemen changed our narrative in just 2weeks!!
The "gunners" may have temporarily removed them from the "streets" but even the BringBackOurGirls ( we are still praying that all the abducted boys, girls, women and men be released to their families) protests DID NOT garner this much International coverage. So, when we ask what they achieved? Lets look again.
Please look beyond Nigeria and hear what others are saying.
I join the Ugandan youths in thanking the Nigerian youths for showing them that they too can stand up, and speak up. I read somewhere that their police officers are behaving better. If true, everyone Benefits.
I join the Kenyan youths in thanking the Nigerian youths for leading! It's been a long time members of our continent addressed Nigerians with respect.
These youths have unknowingly earned us some much needed goodwill.
I thank the Nigerian youths in bringing our collective plight to the world. Africans, Nigerians and other nationals are walking OUR talk. Still asking what was achieved?
The Nigerian youth trended Nigeria globally for something *positive* .
Imagine trending (for good ) more than the US election, Covid19, and the British Royal family! Still asking what was achieved?
We lost properties and businesses in this avoidable and seemingly engineered mayhem, and I join others in condoling with those directly affected. GOD will help us rebuild our sources of income.
Last but definitely not the least, we lost lives.!( *ALL* lives matter)!
We are truly sorry.
We thank you, and we pray that GOD be with your families. And unlike businesses that CAN be rebuilt, we cannot bring you back. And no compensation can ever be enough!!
Thank you and Rest in peace.
When next we want to ask what was achieved, let's remember that these youths moved *us forward* . Even if it's by 1 single step.
Let's remember that the protests championed by the youths benefits us all.
Let's remember that it's not the *youths* vs *us* .
Let's recognise what this IS about; A simple plea for an enabling environment for *US to *LIVE* vs all manner of impunity, injustice, lack of accountability across all sectors, decadence, bad governance, fear, brutality, untimely death simply because the person holding the weapon is in a bad mood and so on.
Let's focus on the WHY.
GOD bless us all.
God bless you sir/ma.
DeleteYou spoke hope to my discouraged heart.
No SARS story is ever palatable to the ears.
ReplyDeleteI pray everyone who comes forward gets justice and those who won't come out should get divine compensation.
So many heart wrenching stories
Oga oo
ReplyDeleteNigerians have suffered in the hands of these criminals called Sars or whatsoever
ReplyDeleteThis is just one out of millions victims.
ReplyDeleteGod please restore all that was lost for this man and others that maynot be able to seek for justice.
SARS are evil in human form. May God punish that your boss,his time is near