Two operatives of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, has convicted and sentenced to death by hanging by a Rivers State High sitting in Port Harcourt for unlawfully killing two friends, Michael Akor and Michael Igwe.
NigeriaCrime.com learned that the two former cops had in 2015 at Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state killed their said two victims.
Five members of the disbanded SARS team, ASP Samuel Chigbu, Shedrack Ibibo, Magus Awuri, Ogoligo and Olisa Emeka were standing trial for the killing.
But ASP Samuel Chigbu and Ogoligo died in custody at the correctional centre in Port Harcourt, while Shedrack Ibibo, Magus Awuri, and Olisa Emeka continued with the trial.
After many years of legal battle the trial Judge, Justice M O Opara in her judgment convicted Shedrack Ibibo, and Magus Awuri of conspiracy to murder and murder, but discharged and acquitted Olisa Emeka.
It will be recalled that in the early days of the unit, combat-ready SARS officers operated undercover in plain clothes and plain vehicles without any security or government insignia and did not carry arms in public. Their main job was to monitor radio communications and facilitate successful arrests of criminals and armed robbers such as Chukwudi Onuamadike best known as “Evans” — who was arrested in 2017 after the police spent five years tracking him and placed a 30 million naira ($80,000) reward on his head.
For 10 years, SARS only operated in Lagos, but by 2002, it had spread to all 36 states of the federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It was counted as one of the 14 units under the Nigerian Police Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department. Its mandate included the arrest, investigation and prosecution of suspected armed robbers, murderers, kidnappers, hired assassins and other suspected violent criminals.
Emboldened by its new powers, the unit moved on from its main function of carrying out covert operations and began to set up roadblocks, extorting money from citizens. Officers remained in plain clothes but started to carry arms in public.
Before it was disbanded, the unit has been implicated in widespread human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention and extortion.