SARS officers removed my teeth during torture, man tells judicial panel

A Lagos man has told the judicial panel hearing the atrocities of police special anti-robbery squad that two of his teeth were extracted by officers of the outlawed unit.

The man was the first to testify before the panel which began hearing cases on Tuesday. The panel’s sitting was initially delayed due to a dispute over an oath of secrecy which members were asked to sign.

Panel’s chairman Doris Okuwobi later said the matter was resolved and proper sitting would continue this week.

Panel’s chairman Doris Okuwobi later said the matter was resolved and proper sitting would continue this week.

The panel heard how the man’s teeth were pulled after he was arrested in 2014 by SARS in Ikeja. The man, who arrived court in a wheelchair with the support of his mother, said his assets were also confiscated by officers, who failed to release them in defiance of court order.

The unit was banned on October 11 after widespread complaints of atrocities that came with the #EndSARS campaign to end police brutality in Nigeria.