Anambra dead bodies: Hold Anambra SARS responsible--CLO

The Anambra State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) have been accused by the Civil liberties organization (CLO) in Anambra State of complicacy in the gruesome discovery of close to 50 dead bodies discovered floating in a river in the state recently. The State Chairman of CLO, Comrade Aloysius Attah and Secretary, Comrade Justus Ijeoma in a press statement pointed accusing finger at the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) saying they contended that litanies of extra judicial killings have been rampant in the state insisting that government should investigate the activities of the body.

But the State Police Command through the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka denied the allegation, describing it as untrue and added that there were no bullet wounds on the bodies of the corpses. Chukwuemeka stressed that an autopsy is already been carried out by a team of specialist on the bodies and that such insinuations would affect investigation into the matter. Two weeks ago, The town of Amansea located at the border of Enugu and Anambra State woke up last week to discover dead bodies of able bodied young men floating on their river known as ‘Ezu river’ which empties into Anambra River from Agba Ogwudu River in Enugu State and the issue has been generating concerns as most of the dead bodies still had some of their clothing on.

Anambra State governor Mr. Peter Obi, who had to cut short a foreign trip, on arrival immediately visited the river and announced a N5 million reward for anybody that can give a clue to finding those involved in the dastardly act. Though, the villagers claim to have seen fifty floating dead bodies, after the recovery of eighteen bodies from the river, the state police commissioner Mr. Bala Nasarawa announced that autopsy would be carried out on three bodies. Though the villagers claimed to have seen fifty floating dead bodies, the police team led by the Anambra State Police Commissioner Mr. Bala Nassrawa,said the bodies recovered were eighteen out of which three were selected for autopsy while the rest of the fifteen had already decomposed. He further revealed “we have also discovered that there were no gun injuries or matchet cuts founded on their bodies as being speculated and the dead bodies are not up to thirty” Nasarawa announced that the autopsy team would comprise of the commissioner for Health Anambra State, as well as the Police Commissioner in charge of Medicals and other pathologists from the two states, Anambra and Enugu states. As investigations has commenced to unwrap the perpetrators of the crime, so many insinuations from so many quarters are being traded as to the origin of the dead bodies as some claim they may have been brought in from the neighboring state of Enugu to deepen confusion, the other see it as robbers that were shot by the police. Their arguments may not be farfetched as fresh blood stains were seen on top of the bridge that morning which indicated that the alleged van carrying the bodies may have halted on the bridge to evacuate the bodies. But CLO further alleged that the anti-robbery group may have resorted to killing and dumping of the corpses in river because the former place where they bury their victims in shallow graves within Agu Awka has been developed for residential houses. He further said, “The reason we are worried is not far fetched. Awkuzu SARS has acquired notoriety as the worst detention center by the police in Anambra where human bazaar goes on unabated. For instance, on November 4, 2004, our fellow comrade, Ifeanyi Onuchukwu was detained in the line of duty as an activist. He later came out with a chilling revelation that the SARS operatives that same night at about 7.15pm mass murdered 20 able bodied men in their custody. A lawyer who did not want her name disclosed told goodnameafrica that CLO might have some truth in their allegations because so many human right abuses and extra judicial killings goes on in the dreaded SARS office located along Awkuzu junction in the State. “I agree to what CLO is saying because I have handled a case there, when their cell gets congested, they bring out some and shoot them. Thereafter, they dispose their bodies in only God knows where. On one occasion I saw two dogs licking blood from the walls of the station and I almost fainted. I had to fast track my client's case and got him moved him to Onitsha prisons before he was eventually released because SARS couldn't

prove their case beyond reasonable doubt as they accused my client of armed robbery and could not provide victim(s)or the arms used for the operation,” she said. CLO therefore called on government to bring in a team of foreign pathologists or in the event of using a Nigerian such pathologists must be procured from different geopolitical zones of the country to avoid partiality and compromise in unraveling the mystery behind the dead bodies.