• Posits that SARS not doing badly in crime fighting

Chief James Nwafor, retired Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), is the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State on Security Matters. He is the man behind the birth of Police Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS).

He was the first SARS Commander in Anambra and was noted for his success in the fight against armed robbers and kidnappers. In this interview The Oracle Today’sAnambra State Correspondent, THEO RAYS, Nwaforexplains what gave birth to SARS, reacted to criticisms against SARS and spoke on his second missionary journey to Anambra State as SSA toObiano.

We leant hat you are on a second missionary journey, as it were, in Anambra State…

Yes, His Excellency Governor Willie recalled me to serve as SSA on security and here am I doing the job. As they say, one good turn deserves another.

I didn’t know that Governor Obiano was highly impressed with what I did during my days as the Commander of the Police SARS in Anambra. I believe that he appointed me to serve because he believes in me based on the records of what I did earlier on while serving in Anambra.

How do you deal with people’s expectations from you, as it must be very high? I mean what assurance are you giving your subordinates in the light of such expectations?

To whom much is given much is expected. Igbo man says that age cannot stop an old woman from doing well in dancing the music she is familiar with. I will do my best in working in tandem with the State Police Command and other security agencies in the State to ensure that the security situation in Anambra remains commendable. This is what I can tell the people and His Excellency, my boss.

We learnt that you are the brain behind SARS in the whole of Nigeria. Could you tell us how it all started?

The high crime rate in Anambra gave birth to SARS. The idea of SARS was mooted following the communal clash between Aguleri and Umuleri and high rate of armed robbery at the same time. After the clash, the Police decided to mop up some arms handed over to the youth during the clash so that they won’t use such arms against the law.

After the Aguleri and Umuleri clash, there was a crime incident at Awkuzu that led to the death of 22 people. We called it Awkuzu massacre. During investigation, Police suspected that the perpetrators might have secured arms from those who fought the Aguleri and Umuleri war.

We started arresting those we suspected were in possession of arms. At that point, there was also a high rate armed robberies, so, the Command under CP Daniel Ayaogu decided to form a police team that would be reporting directly to CP and not from AC or DC State CID. That was how SARS came about.

The CP now received reports about armed robbery cases directly from SARS instead of the AC or DC State CID. There were similar police special teams in other parts of the country. In Lagos, they were called AAH or something like, but in Anambra it was called SARS and I was made the Commander because I was instrumental to the idea.

Why is SARS headquarters situated in Awkuzu? Is it because of the Awkuzu massacre or because there is high crime rate in Awkuzu and its environs?

No nono, it was just a coincidence. When we started operation as SARS, we where using Police Stations to detain suspects, but along the line, we found out that using Stations was not helping us in terms of investigations. So, we decided that as a special team, we needed a separate place, a secluded place where we could settle down toproperly investigate cases. So, we started looking for a space and along the line we secured the old party house at Awkuzu. That was how we located SARS office at Awkuzu.

What is your reaction to the massive criticisms against SARS by Nigerians? In fact, some people are pushing the Inspector General of Police to even scrap SARS because of their excesses.

You cannot satisfy everybody with the kind of thing or job you do. On record, SARS is not doing badly to warrant such criticisms and how are you sure that those who are criticising SARS are not the ones that are benefiting from crimes? Anybody who is benefiting from criminal activities will always criticise crime fighters. That is natural. In Anambra here, SARS is doing wonderfully well and am not sure that those critics are conversant enough to know what SARS has achieved here in Anambra State.

There are fears in some quarters that the recent ban on motorcycle transport popularly known as Okada in the commercial city of Onitsha and Awka the Anambra State Capital may lead to a spike in crime rate, especially against the backdrop of the approach of the 2019 general election. Some say that your appointment is not unconnected with the fear of the unknown, following the Okada ban and 2019 power play. What assurance are you giving the people of the State against possible upsurge in criminal activities?

First of all, let them rest assured that the Police Command and other security agencies are on ground and therefore be a partner at work by providing the Police and their security agents with useful information. Secondly, let them accept the Okada ban in good fate and continue to support Obiano. Anambra is not the first place where Okada was banned.

It was banned in Enugu, Owerri, Asaba and Benin including Lagos. And people in those places survived. I am sure that people in Onitsha and Awka will also survive. Good enough that Governor Obiano has made arrangements to provide alternative measures to absorb Okada riders. I learnt that he has made arrangement to provide shuttle buses and that will surely go along way to helping fix Okada riders back on gainful activities.

https://oraclenews.ng/high-crime-rate-in-anambra-gave-birth-to-sars-nwafor/

Oga CSP James Nwafor, you are a wanted man for being both judge and executioner during your time as Head of Awkuzu SARS, the youths are asking for your head on a plate, your date with destiny is nigh. Goodluck.

This man is a serial Murderer.
An Arch genocidist.

So none of your blackmail posts against this man has reached front page. Ana emenu

This man will die a painful death and his sins shall be visited on his children and generations to come.

azmanaty02:
This man will die a painful death and his sins shall be visited on his children and generations to come.

The man and his collaborators will pay for it. Leave his kids out of it unless if there are concretes proofs that they assisted him in the crimes.

Yujin:

The man and his collaborators will pay for it. Leave his kids out of it unless if there are concretes proofs that they assisted him in the crimes.

Ok sir

This Man is a vampire

Let him go and speak to the court. That's the only way we can check his innocence.

Just know that the international community has placed you on travel ban..

You are truly a wicked man. We need bike in onitsha. Stop comparing Onitsha to other places. It's just incomparable.

Its like he wrote the questions he was asked.

Very stupid interview