Last Monday, December 9, an Anambra State Government Agency known as Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad (SASA) invaded the office of the Anambra State Broadcasting Service (ABS) in Onitsha, where they beat up some of the members of staff and whisked some away, returning them later.
It was reported that they were chasing a man who ran into the ABS premises and upon noticing the noise in the premises, some ABS workers came out to inquire what was amiss, only for the officials of SASA to reportedly pounce on them and beat them up. In fact, one was so badly beaten that he was taken to the hospital.
It is not as if the violent activities of this agency are new but to extend it to journalists in the office, when they had nothing to do with breaking any law is a new low in the uncouth modus operandi of this agency. Even if the ABS staff had done anything against the law, is it SASA that will apprehend them?
Indeed, we hear about the questionable activities of this group which is allegedly involved in extortion of money from individuals and groups in the commercial city of Onitsha. They are alleged to be collecting money from some groups on a weekly or monthly basis, with one group paying as much as N600, 000 a month.
Where does the money go to? What is it for? They also allegedly collect N20, 000 from their victims who are often arrested over flimsy charges before releasing them. Such people are said to be kept in the private cell of this agency.
And we ask, what law authorizes this agency to operate a private cell? Have they usurped the responsibilities of the police? Are they above the laws of the state and the country? Why have they become a law unto themselves? Why is the state government keeping mum over complaints of the violent activities of this group?
It is this same group that is popularly known as ”Ndi Aka Odo” or those who use pestle, in the commercial city. They are said to use these pestles on hapless citizens, with two of the celebrated cases being the breaking of a man’s spinal cord and another’s legs in same Onitsha.
Why should any civilized group be operating with such weapons when the police don’t even carry such? We understand that the invasion of the ABS office in Onitsha was reported to the state’s number one citizen, Gov Chukwuma Soludo, who was said to have expressed reservations.
But we feel it is not enough for the government to just do that. It should have those people arrested and prosecuted for giving a bad and terrible image to the state. For goodness sake, Anambra is governed by a renowned academic and for these things to be happening in his state is quite surprising.
We call for full investigations into the invasion of this group at ABS and demand that if found culpable, they should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. We are tired of always hearing about the chaos caused in the state by these people.