Police Turn Trader To Suspected Armed Robber Over N1.5m

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The police at Ikotun Division led by the DPO, CSP Tarzan Tsav got engrossed in a controversy over the arrest and transfer of a trader, Mr Jude Onyirimba to Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, claiming he was an armed robber for refusing to part with N1.5m in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the police officer investigating the matter, one Amosele popularly known as Oba told the DPO that the suspect, Onyirimba had a torch light inside his flat that he used for armed robbery.

Consequently, the DPO, Tsav concluded that he was a suspected armed robber and then lied to the Area Commander, Area M Idimu, ACP Austine Akika who directed that Onyirimba be transferred to SARS.

However, the Officer in charge SARS, CSP Ahmed Sanusi totally dismissed the allegation and declared that it had nothing to do with robbery and ordered that the suspect be granted bail immediately.

Trouble started for Onyirimba after one single woman identified as Mrs. Shola  had alleged that a robber came to her apartment last month at 8 Bayo Street, Customs bus stop in Abaranje, Ikotun at about 2am with a torch light and attempted to rape her.

Mrs. Shola claimed that she did not raise alarm when the incident took place and did not tell any of the residents. She also claimed that the robber stole some items and about N1.8m cash which she reportedly kept in her house. But her claim was debunked by their neighbours who said that she could not have had such money and still owed her landlord arrears of rent.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Mrs. Shola then arranged with some police officers led by Amosele and invaded Onyirimba’s house on the same street, beat him up, stripped and paraded him on the street before they took him to the police station.

At the police station they attempted to force him to bring the N1.5m Mrs Shola claimed she had lost but the victim insisted that he knew nothing about her claim. They then took him inside the police cell and used electric cables to batter him in order to make him confess that he was an armed robber to no avail. They then decided to transfer him to SARS so that he will be torture and probably killed as an armed robber.

When P.M.EXPRESS visited the SARS office at Ikeja, the suspect was still detained there but the IPO in charge of the matter said that the OC had given directives for his release.

Meanwhile,  Onyirimba’s wife has written a petition to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police over the brutality on her husband, alleging that he was an armed robber and treating him as one.

In the petition dated 12 December, 2017, signed by Mrs. Ogechi, sighted by P.M.EXPRESS she alleged that the police at Ikotun Division tortured, intimidated and brutalised her husband to extort N1.5m from him and when he refused to bring the money, they turned him to an armed robber and sent him to SARS.