Tina Amanda
Tambari Sydney Gbara, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers state, has demanded the prosecution of the Former Commander the disbanded F-SARS, ACP Akin Fakorode and his team for their violent operation at the INEC Coalition Centre Bori, Khana, during the Gubernatorial election on 9th March 2019.
In his testimony before the state Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Gbara expressed sadness that Akin Fakorode and his cohorts are being allowed to move freely, despite their unlawful involvement during the 2019 Governorship election that caused the untimely death of Ferry Gberegbe and several others left with grievous injuries.
According to him, while he worked as PDP Agent in Khana local government during the 2019 Governorship election, Akin Fakorode and his team of F-SARS Operatives tortured him, sprayed tear gas on him for his refusal to allow them to cart away with the sensitive election materials.
Gbara demanded that Akin Fakorode should be brought to book as his operation and that of his team of Officers is against the ethics and rules of engagement of the Nigerian police force.
“I happened to be one of the collation agents for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Khana local government area during the last Governorship election in Rivers State, the election went on smoothly and collation started same day and entered into the next day. Between 9 and 11 am on 10th March 2019, as I went out briefly to ease myself, a Police vehicle conveying SARS Officers drove into the premises and one of the SARS Officer approached me to tell me that his boss wants to see me.
“I inquired who his boss is, he said SARS Commander ACP Akin Fakorede, I told him that I am here to work for my Party, PDP, that collation is ongoing and that I cannot leave my duty post to anywhere.
“That was where the problem started, the SARS Officer threatened that if I don’t move, he will kill me. Before I knew it, other SARS Operatives joined him, they started dragging me, beaten me up, fired bullets in-between my legs.
“I was jumping out of fear from bullets, they hit my head with their riffle to a point I had thought I would die that day, I was manhandled like a common criminal. I was shocked at their actions because everything was peaceful before they came, even the bomb squad police officers attached to the polling unit told the SARS Officers that the exercise has been peaceful, they played deaf ears and went ahead with their brutality.
“The SARS Officers insisted that I must bring the results sheet, I told them I don’t have the result sheet, that it is inside where collation is going on. On the process of torturing me, pandemonium broke out, everywhere became rowdy and people started scampering, they sprayed tear gas on us and began to shoot sporadically into the crowd.
“It was on the process of people running that one of us fell down, late Dr. Ferry Gberegbe who was one of the PDP agents in the election, and when we checked, we discovered he has been hit by the SARS bullet. Immediately we rushed him to ST. Patrick Hospital, where he later died after some days.
“Nothing can be quantified to what I went through except for justice, the Nigerian Police Authority knows ACP Akin Fakorede and all the Police Officers who came to Bori with him that day to commit such bastard act. In the rules of their engagement, it is wrong to fire bullets on unarmed civilians who were just exercising their franchise.
“I demand justice, all the officers including Akin Fakorede must be brought to book, they are not above the law. When I get the justice I will be satisfied”
On his part, Ledogo Niabari Raymond told the Commission that he was hit by a stray bullet from the sporadic gunshots fired by Akin Fakorode and his men at the INEC Coalition centre Bori, Khana, while working as an INEC Adhoc staff, during the March 9th Governorship election.
He noted that the incident has left him traumatized and hypertensive ever since then.
Raymond urged the Nigerian Police Authority to always checkmate the excesses of the police officers in order to reduce the number of death recorded in the country while demanding two million naira compensation for the brutality meted out on him, as he has spent over seven hundred thousand naira on medication.
Also, one twenty-seven-year-old Christopher Agbagbuo testified that on 16th September 2017, SARS Operatives raided a nearby compound, shot him on his right leg and bundled him into their Van, on discovering he was innocent the officers later took him to the hospital.
“It was during the ASSU strike of 2017, I came back home pending when the strike would be called off, SARS men came for Operation in a compound next to mine, I was sitting inside the compound with my brothers discussing, the people SARS came for ran into our compound and everybody was running away, I didn’t run because I know I have not committed any crime.
“One of the SARS Officer called Igwe shot me on the leg and dragged me out from my family compound to the junction. Finally, they took me to the local government, it was there they found out I was not among the people they were chasing, they took me to hospital, promised to take care of my medication which they never did till date.
“I seek justice because I really want to continue my education for a better future. I demand twenty million naira compensation for the brutality and life-threatening injury I sustained from the incident”
