It has been alleged that members of the Special Security Squad, code-named “Operation Flush,” had attacked, battered, and brutalised Hassan Olasunnkanmi Quadri, a journalist employed by a private radio station in Edo State.
According to The Intercept, Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State, declared last Sunday that the Special Security Squad will be established with the goal of removing cults and kidnappers from the state.
However, the squad’s activities, which began on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, got off to a contentious start when members allegedly beat the journalist known as “Otunba Ororo.”
It was gathered that the incident happened when members of the squad stormed and raided an undisclosed hotel where the victim is lodging in Benin City.
In a viral video posted on his Facebook page, Hassan Olasunnkanmi Quadri narrated how the team invaded his hotel room and assaulted him.
The victim, who spoke in pidgin English said, “As you all know, I no dey find trouble, I no dey find wahala. I do my work diligently. I no dey even put hand for anything bad.
“But seriously even if everything get as it be, that does not mean that every youth in Edo state are criminals. It doesn’t mean that everybody in Edo state is a criminal.
“At least you give them the leverage to introduce themselves and ask questions but instead you put tyrants on the road.
“Edo state government, I am calling you out to go and do checking. Stop youths on the road, Edo State is not safe anymore.
“I will call them tyrants even though you are a uniform man. You burst into my room and I asked a simple question: who are you? Who are you looking for?
“Normally, you should introduce yourself and you said you want to search and I told you to search. The next thing you are ordering me out, that I should enter your bus. To where? Do I know who you are and where you are going to?
“Edo State is pretty hot right now. I should just follow you? No ID card? Anybody can wear a Police uniform.
“You came into my room and before I knew it one just slapped me. And before I could raise my head the other one teargassed my eyes.
In a civilised county we are. Edo State what is happening?
“You teargassed my eyes and before I knew it they tore my clothes. Some of them were even going for my gold necklace. Is that why you are here? They dragged me to Oluku junction.
“But if not the intervention of Mr Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo it would have been worse.
“The CPS was even telling them to leave me alone, that this is so so and so so person they did not hear. It took the CPS a lot of intervention before they could leave me.
“If not for the CPS I would have been in detention or in prison today for what I don’t know. They are just gathering people. Is that the problem?. There are a lot of people that are killing our brothers, fathers and everybody in the farms and nobody is doing anything about it.
“If you must fight anything cultism is that the right way to go about it? You are arresting youths that are not doing anything on the roads. People that are going about their daily business.
“Don’t you know where the real ones are? You people should check yourself if you are not even among the cultists.They stole my properties. What nonsense is all these?
“If not for the CPS today, I would have been behind the bars in the police station or inside prison, and they would tag, “Cultism raid in Edo state”. That is how they would have tagged and charges preferred against me.
“Edo state, we can do better than this. This is not the way forward.
They beat me and dragged me on the ground like a thief. They wounded me on the forehead. Wound I never get in my life.” (sic)
