A victim of the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), Boluwaseye Brodie-Mends, has appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari and Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde to come to his aid on the way the Oyo State Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) has been tossing him around on an alleged crime he knows nothing about.
Brodie-Mends, a 63 year-old devotee of Satguru Maharaj Ji and indigene of Abeokuta, Ogun State but born and raised in Benin, Edo State, narrated his ordeal in the custody of the SARS in Ibadan for more than a week during which he was tortured with both legs tied and hanged upside down in a bid to force him to confess to the alleged crime.
The victim told reporters that his travail began in March 2017 when men of the anti-robbery squad stormed his house at Odo Ona Kekere asking him to follow them into a waiting vehicle.
He said: “I had no option but to follow them after my enquiry to know what offence they have come to arrest me for was rebuffed as one of them said when I get to their station I will know.”
“They took me to the Dugbe office of the SARS where I was then told I was arrested for attempted murder and destruction of a building. I was shocked to hear this and I told them I knew nothing about this allegations.
“I was immediately handcuffed and taken to a torture room which they also call ‘Theatre” and was hanged upside down and beaten with electric wires and baton which got my head broken in the process. This treatment was meted out to me everyday for.more than one week.
“It got to a point that I demanded to know who my accuser was but was told he is in the hospital where they said the accuser was receiving treatment but could not find him there.
“They were torturing me to confess if there were others and who was the person that sent us.
“Because I was a devotee of Satguru Maharaj Ji, they said I must have been sent by him to commit the crime, something I had no clue about. I told them nobody asked me to do anything and am completely innocent of the allegations levelled against me.
“While being tortured, a lady who was also a SARS operative known as ‘Iron Lady’ came in and said; “you too drop the gun in your possession”. Gun! I exclaimed. I have nothing like that I replied.
“When eventually she was told that my case has to do with landed property, she then appealed to them to treat me gently so that I won’t lose my life in the process.
Brodie-Mends explained further that charges were then prepared against him which are, “Attempted murder; Threat to life and Destruction of blocks worth N200,000 as well as cement all valued at N1m.
He said: “the charges were read to.me and I was taken to Magistrate Court. I learnt has no power to grant me bail and I was then remanded at Agodi.
“I was in Agodi Prisons for three months after which a Motion Bail was prepared for me before I was released.
It is surprising that since 2017, all the papers concerning the case sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) to know if I have a case to answer or not, was yet to be out.
“But to my changrine, after five years, the DPP came out to say I have a case to answer.
Through investigations by this newspaper, the Commander of SARS who was in charge colluded with the people that lied against Brodie-Mends, had to refer the case to his wife who was a Magistrate at Court 1, Iyaganku.
During those processes, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ashanike called Satguru Maharaj Ji to tell him that the Magistrate was seriously sick and that it was in the course of finding solution to her sickness that it was revealed to them that it was a spiritual problem and that she has offended Satguru Maharaj Ji and his son.
Satguru Maharaj Ji had to fix an appointment with the SAN for a Thursday but unfortunately the Magistrate died on Tuesday.
“This is why I am appealing to the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to look into this matter because I was unjustly punished for a crime I am innocent of. Uptill now, I am yet to set eyes on my accuser.