As the campaign to scrap the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigerian Police gets more and more intense in view of the incessant brutality and killings meted out to young Nigerians, a popular real estate entrepreneur and investor, Omoha Nduka John has weighed in on the matter with a little empathy on the side of the unit.
Omoha Nduka John popularly known as Prince Omoha said all the blames cannot be heaped at the doorstep of the Squad, saying the society at large should be blamed for their wrong perception of young successful Nigerians prompting the Special men of the police to take advantage to perpetrate evil.
He said in a chat with our reporter, “Having this negative impression that every young person who made money and is living well is either a fraudster, a ritualist or a drug baron is worse than police brutality. Nigerians should stop judging people by their social media lifestyles. Most of the young people that post flashy cars, jewelries and wears on social media post them for fun while others do it to motivate others to work hard.”
He continues, “It’s so saddening also to see every successful young girl as having made money through sleeping with men. There are countless numbers of ladies who are making money legitimately. Nigerians are hardworking people. We have the ability to defeat poverty and get to the top through sheer hard work, commitment, determination and self-discipline. I have seen Nigerians who were able to conquer their background. They believe that their backgrounds cannot keep their backs on the ground. These Nigerians that speak ill of young rich Nigerians are trying to rationalize their inability to break the barriers of poverty. They would say, “thank God I’m not like him.” That’s a defense mechanism used to rationalize their inability to get to the top.”
He reasoned that the men of SARS have been led and encouraged by this wrong mindset. He however charges the public to stop condemning young rich Nigerians, emphatically stating that there are many young men who made their money legitimately.
“This ugly mindset has made the men of SARS to continually harass and intimidate young Nigerians who are doing well, tagging them fraudsters. I would urge Nigerians to channel the same energy used in condemning SARS brutality to speaking for the rights of young Nigerians who are being intimidated both verbally and physically just because they made it early in life. This will go a long way in encouraging hard work among young Nigerians,” he said.
Stating reasons why the outfit should not be scrapped, Prince Omoha outlines some of the achievements of men of SARS, suggesting that scrapping the unit will only lead to anarchy.
“I do not buy the idea of ending SARS totally. It is a very fundamental department of Nigerian Police charged with the responsibility of curbing the menace of armed robbery and kidnapping. It is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that armed robbery and kidnapping has drastically reduced compared to the situation we found ourselves before the advent of the SARS. The men of the SARS are the only department of the police that is dreaded by these dare-devil kidnappers and armed robbers. Ending SARS will not only increase the level of crime in the society, it will also make us live in fear of the unknown. Instead of the call for SARS to be abolished I’m of the opinion that they should be reformed and rehabilitated. They should be trained to be more empathetic, disciplined and well guided. I believe if this is done, it will go a long way in making the SARS better and Nigerians can regain the confidence they had in the department when it was formed,” he added.
Omoha Nduka John is the Chairman and founder of Prince Luxury Group, one of the fastest growing companies conglomerate in real estate and stocks investments in Lagos Nigeria and Hong Kong.