I Never Called For An End To SARS

Yomi SARS

Police officer cum music artiste, Abayomi Ekundayo, aka Yomi SARS, has said that there was no time he joined the campaign to end the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

Recall that a video surfaced online where he was caught on camera, calling for an end to SARS.

Yomi told Sunday Scoop that as a policeman, he couldn’t say anything bad about the force regardless of the circumstances. He said, “Yes, I saw the post but there was no time I said end SARS. When I was about to leave a show in Surulere, Lagos, last Sunday, Zlatan Ibile saw me and started shouting ‘End SARS’. He was obviously joking while recording it. I then asked why he was shouting ‘End SARS’. That was what happened.”

Ekundayo said the video didn’t disturb him because he knew he didn’t cross the line. He stated, “The video is nothing. If it was an issue, I wouldn’t have allowed him to post it. Captions by bloggers made it look like I wanted to sabotage where I eat from. If SARS is ended, who will protect the people? I wish all policemen are social media savvy like me. I am sure if they see the killings on social media, they will be more cautious while discharging their duties.”

On insinuations that alcohol could be responsible for his action on the said night, Yomi SARS maintained that he stopped drinking four years ago. He said, “Nobody has called me from the police authorities to explain myself. I don’t drink. The last time I took alcohol was four years ago. In the video, did you see me holding any drink?”

The cop also maintained that people usually embraced him on the streets, admitting that he also got death threats on social media. He stated, “I don’t care much about what people say to me on social media. I’ve said it several times that I don’t work with SARS anymore. I know my fans and my fans still show me love. People have the right to protest if something terrible happens. But as a policeman, I have to obey orders. I am for the people and the police because I am a singer and a policeman. If the police authorities had called me to explain myself, it would be an opportunity for me to suggest a way out of this issue between the force and the people.”