A civil servant in Ogun State, Ola Hammed, has cried out for justice after his left foot was shattered by a bullet allegedly fired by an operative of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad attached to the state police command.
Hammed said the policeman was among a team of SARS operatives attacked by some residents in the Ibara, Abeokuta area of the state, after a man was brutalised for videoing a brawl involving the cops.
He alleged that the angry policemen opened fire on people, adding that commuters and traders alike fled the area to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
The victim said one of the policemen accosted him and accused him of being among the mob.
The Physics teacher said he had denied the allegation when the cop suddenly fired at his leg.
Hammed, who posted his ordeal on his social media page including pictures of his shot leg, said the police authorities had refused to investigate the incident or arrest the policeman.
He said, “My ordeal in the hands of the Federal SARS men happened on June 12, 2018. A fight erupted from an argument between a man and a FSARS team stationed under the Ibara Bridge, Abeokuta.
“The incident, which lasted for hours, drew the attention of many passersby and okada riders. At a point, one of the SARS officers spotted a guy among the crowd taking a video coverage of the incident. He approached the guy and started beating him up.
“The disgruntled crowd got angry and started throwing stones at the SARS operatives. The next thing we heard was that they (FSARS) opened fire, shooting continuously. They aimed at people with the intention to kill.
“Though some people were miles away from the scene of the incident, we all took to our heels, running for our lives because of stray bullets.
“One of them (cops) accosted me. I told him that I did not have anything to do with the stoning. I was saying that and moving away from him. He said, ‘I will spoil your leg,’ and the next I heard was a gunshot.”
He said he discovered that he had been hit by a bullet in the left foot, adding that he was rushed to a private hospital, from where he was referred to a general hospital in the area.
Hammed said he was not attended to on time because the health workers requested a police report to commence treatment.
The victim said since the incident, he had been in pain as he could not sleep at night.
“I can barely leap on the other leg. I cannot sleep at night due to the pains I go through, while the person that perpetrated this inhuman act is out there in the comfort of his home,” he added.
The government worker said the SARS operatives misused their weapons and deserved to be sanctioned.
He recalled that a few days after he was shot, the policemen allegedly invaded another Ogun community to disrupt a programme which led to the death of one Awilo.
“I want the Ogun State Government to act fast on the issue before the operatives wreaked more havoc on innocent and defenceless citizens. The conduct and operations of the SARS men have sent many Nigerians to their early graves,” he said.
Hammed had yet to respond to a message from our correspondent sent to his Facebook page as of the time of filing this report.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, could not be reached for comment as his line was switched off.
He had yet to respond to a text message sent to his line as of press time.
