By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Anambra, Mr. Aremu Kehinde, has absolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives of brutality and molestation of a female youth corps member in the state.

He said that it was rather operatives of the Special Anti-Cult Squad (SPACS) that were involved in the said operations.

According to Kehinde, SPACS had traced some students to the corper’s room. He said that he reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police and the operatives of SPACS, whom he said have apologised to the girl.

“The girl is not pressing for damages except that they would repair the net that was damaged,” Mr. Kehinde said, adding: “NYSC will not take the matter further. There is no need for that because there have been instances where the police rescued NYSC members from danger and that one ugly incident won’t smear the cordial relationship with the police.

“The girl has accepted the apologies. The parents have accepted too. Police do more for corps members. We did all we needed to do for the SPACS operatives to be identified and the Police Commissioner got them to apologise to the girl directly. Even the Commissioner of Police thanked her for forgiving them but still assured the girl that he will deal with them.”

Sahara Reporters had reported that on September 17, 2020 SARS operatives in Anambra State had broken into an NYSC member’s apartment in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state about 2am in search of some internet fraudsters, a.k.a Yahoo boys.

According to Sahara Reporters, SARS operatives gained access into the female corper’s apartment through the window and allegedly molested her while she was naked and defenseless.

The report further disclosed that the matter was reported to the Police Commissioner in the state even as the said female corps member did not disclose the identity of the people that invaded her room.

The state command of SARS has said that it will not take any legal action against Sahara Reporters but enjoined journalists to cross-check facts and not be in a hurry to misinform the public and create wrong impressions and perceptions.

It further advised journalists not to be in a haste to run the police down and SARS in particular because SARS in Anambra State is reformed and poised to provide watertight security for the state.

In his reaction, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Haruna Mohammed, said that that the people that carried out the operation that day were not SARS operatives.

He said the case was still under investigation.