COVID-19: Civil Rights Group Raises Alarm Over Illegal Detention Of 2 Lagosians By DPO Oko-Oba Police Station

A civil rights group, Save Lagos Group (SLG) has urged the authority of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to sanction the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Oko-Oba Police Station, Abule-Egba area, Agege, Mr. Kingsley Anyanwu over illegal arrest and alleged extortion of Lagosians during the lockdown because of Coronavirus popularly code named COVID-19.

The group alleged that the policemen attached to the police station detained two Lagosians, Ayodele Olagoke, a student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan and Ayoololuwa Bamise against the directive of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) since Tuesday 31 March, 2020 till the time of filling this report.

It was gathered that the DPO and his men had not allowed the detainees to write any statement since seven days they have been in their custody.

Explaining the remote cause of the matter to the leaders and members of the Save Lagos Group (SLG), a family member of the detainees, Mr. Oluwakinwa Adedotun Babatunde disclosed that “one Mr. Ismail Tella used his Honda saloon car to send the alleged suspects on an errand in the town.

“On getting to the bus-Stop, they met police road block and in an attempt to stop, one woman police officer, Inspector Joy, jumped in front of the car which made the vehicle to hit her and immediately, she was taken to the hospital of her choice, Hamkad Hospital at Olawale Cole Street, off Risikatu Majaro Street, U-turn Bus-Stop, Abule-Egba.

“Being the hospital Inspector Joy has been using for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), after her treatment and discharged, the family of the suspects paid for the ten percent (10%) of the hospital bill and also gave her sum of N40,000 with food stuff and beverages as being demanded for”.

Meanwhile, the owner of the car, Mr. Tella pleaded to an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Agboola attached to the State Police Headquarters in Ikeja, to help prevailed on the DPO Anyanwu to release the two suspects on bail with the impounded car, but it was like putting petrol on fire.

According to Tella, while approaching the DPO on Sunday, 5 March, 2020, he was slapped by the DPO for having the audacity to inform his superior officer at the Command on the subject matter, adding that the DPO promised to give the Car for a driver to use it for Uber transport after the end of the stay at home order by the Federal Government.

It was learnt that while the leadership of the Save Lagos Group (SLG) through its Convener, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, trying to appeal to DPO Anyanwu on the matter to look into the congnisance of the present situation in the country as regard the global pandemic, in respect of the directive of the IGP Abubakar Adamu, the DPO shunned all the appeal by saying that he would not respect any rights of the detainees, not to talk of IGP Adamu’s directive.

Sources however alleged that a demand of the sum of N200, 000 is being demanded from the family of the detainees before they will be released together with the impounded saloon car with the plate number: – AKD 79 BF at the police station.

Comrade Sulaiman then called for immediate removal of Mr. Anyanwu as the Divisional Police Officer, saying that he was not a good ambassador of the Force for his unofficial conduct and breaching of IGP’s directive to the police formations across the country in respect of current global health challenges.

He, therefore, urged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to wade into the matter before it gets out of hands, noting that the appropriate democratic action would be taken by the group on the matter to seek redress and get justice for the detainees.