By Ajibola Adedoye
A clarion call has gone to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egetokun to address the incessant cases of police brutality and unlawful detention being perpetrated by officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
Comrade Alex Omotehinse, President, Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR) who made this call during a press briefing at the Liberation Centre-Lagos on Sunday, July 21, 2024 noted that the issue of police brutality and unlawful detention by officers of NPF clearly violates the fundamental human rights of the citizens of Nigeria.
According to him, “the actions and inactions of these officers negates and compromises Police Act Establishment, more reason the IGP has to buckle up, roll up his sleeves and do the needful”.
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Omotehinse said: “As a human right group, we have received several complaints from Nigerians across board on cases of harassment, intimidation, exploitation, favoritisms and biasness from officers of Nigeria Police Force and also in the course of discharging our duty or interaction while settling people’s disputes, some Police officers mostly the lower cadres are far away from Acts that set Nigeria police Force as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“In reference, a situation where a Police command is handling a case, then the defendant based on his or her close relationship with a superior officers at Zonal Command, he will get the case transferred without prejudice to the complainant while genuine and sincere reasons would not be given.
“A particular situation where a case is being handled by a Police division and one person knows the boss at the top, then got the case file transferred to Abuja headquarters because the people involved are very poor, so his/her family would not be able to meet up whenever the case come-up based on the challenges of transportation, feeding and housing because of change of environment.
“Based on the vulnerability of the defender/ complainer, the well-connected ‘OGA MADAM’ in collaboration with Men of the Nigeria Police Force will then use their societal influence to manipulate the system and avert justice to impact sufferings and pains on the less privileged this is a situation where we are as a country and more reasons why our correctional centers are densely congested”.
President CHSR disclosed that “Few days ago one Mr. Asimiyu Suraju a widower and father of twins cried to our office to register a complaint against a cyber space influencer named Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) using her relationship and connection with a senior Police officer to get him arrested, detained unlawfully.
According to him, he got arrested on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at his resident in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State by men of Nigeria police force from Ifo Police Division in Ogun State, his arrest was in connection with alleged murder of his wife Mrs. Foluso Asimiyu who died on Friday, 19th April, 2024 after a brief illness at Ota General Hospital, Ogun State. After spending thirteen days (13) at IFO Police Division without investigation instead of taking him to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Elewe-Iran in Abeokuta, he was transferred to Police Force Headquarters Luis Edet House Abuja where he was detained for over 65 days at Maitama Police Division Abuja without access to his families nor trial.
“Mr. Asimiyu Suraju states that him and his wife late Mrs. Foluso Asimiyu and their twins got enmeshed with cyber space influencers when one Madam Jokotade helped the family to seek for funds based on the family financial challenges and she raised a lump sum of five hundred thousand naira which she intended to use to help in ameliorating their challenges that to the family dismay few days later, Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) knocked on their door and told them that the earlier cyber influencer (Madam Jokotade) have short changed and cheated them on funds raised on behalf of the family but she has come to put smile and succor to the family financial status not knowing to the family that she has comes to inflict more hardship, pains and sufferings to their household .
“The Family posited that Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) has been thorn in their flesh that firstly, before her wife death she got the husband arrested and detained more than four times in different police detention facilities through various charges to avail her the opportunity to be in custody of his wife and the twins which she achieved based on her connections to top police officers.
“The family said Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) always capitalized on the family vulnerability to intimidate and harassed them with police without recourse to them, that Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami has once took the late Folusho Ashimiyu (iya Ibeji) to hospital for a family planning injection without the seeking the consent of Mr. Ashimiyu because by then Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) has detained the husband at SCID Panti on a frivolous allegation of Baba Ibeji sleeping and impregnating a 14 years old minor, a case that was rebuffed by Mr. Ashimiyu because his wife already had 3 children before meeting her.
“That Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) later took late Folusho Ashimiyu (Iya ibeji and their twins to her personal resident in Ikorodu area of Lagos State where they lived for good three months without informing the family or husband while they were searching for their where-about not until well-wishers who knew Iya Ibeji saw her, she then narrated her ordeal and collected her husband (baba Ibeji) phone number to come and rescue them from her Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi). According to the husband, her late wife gave her a ‘SAVE MY SOUL’ call which he promptly acted upon to rescue the life of his family without waiting for any back-up and unfortunately for him Olowosibi mobilized OPC members to beat him to stupor for ‘attempting to kidnap’ his own children, luck however smiled on him when one of the OPC leader later recognized him after merciless beating, torture and molestation.
“After much ado, Mr. Taofeek Ashimiyu, elder brother to Suraju Ashimiyu (Baba Ibeji) reached out to Dorcas Adeyinka Foundation live program for assistance to ameliorate the pains and sufferings of his younger brother and his immediate family due to the psychological trauma inflicted on him by Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami, Dorcas Adeyinka intervened by getting the family a befitting mini-flat apartment fully furnished and equipped with a monthly allowance for feeding.
“In seeking justice for the Eleven (11) weeks unlawful detention and incarceration of his younger brother, Mr. Taofeek Ashimiyu approached an Abuja High Court through their lawyer, Barr. Pelumi Olajengbesi to file a case of Abuse Of Fundamental Human Rights on behalf of Mr. Ashimiyu Suraju (baba Ibeji) and was granted bail before the Nigeria Police can release him. It was however surprising for the Asimiyu family hear learn of the allegation of connivance between Baba Ibeji and Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka
to kill his late wife, this to them is an unfounded allegation because they’ve not met her before (up till this moment)”.
Speaking on how Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka came into the picture, Comrade Omotehinse disclosed that CHSR received complaint letter from Dorcas Adeyinka Empowerment Foundation and “Following careful review of the petition and our subsequent findings, we unraveled orchestrated ploy to trample on the rights to means of freedom with regards to false murder allegations, illegal displaying of nude images, conspiracy to indict, and the mishandling of the Nigeria Police Force in declaring her WANTED without due process and recourse to the less privileged and suffering Nigerian masses which her foundation are on daily basis taking-off the street to boost economy growth of the country.
“Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka, a Nigerian-born British citizen, the Chief Executive Officer of Dorcas Adeyinka Empowerment Foundation, a foundation of hope for thousands of Nigeria citizens. Through her foundation, she has championed various causes from educational support to business promotion, medical assistance, and palliative relief both domestically and internationally, while her unwavering dedication and selflessness have earned her widespread admiration and respect which has thrown her-up as a symbol of hope to many household due to the present economy hardship facing us as a nation.
“Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka believed that despite her marvelous contribution in creating wealth opportunity and human capacity building, she found herself enmeshed in a web of harassment and false accusations orchestrated by some individuals with malicious intent just because the individual knows or have a relationship with a top rank officer in the Nigeria police force who uses his influence and position to declared her WANTED for an offence she never committed.
“The cyber influencers’ bullies and frivolous murder allegation as cast a dark shadow over her reputation threatening to tarnish her legacy built on principles of integrity and compassion.
“The unfounded nature of these accusations underscores the urgent needs of Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun for a thorough investigation into the motives behind such attack of Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka was invited by Nigeria Police force to Abuja headquarters for investigation which she appeared in person and agreed by all parties that further engagement will be communicating to them by the police but in shocking turn of events, the Nigeria Police Force declared her WANTED without proper notification or due process as enshrined in the Police acts, code of conduct and ethics not only violated her rights but also perpetuated the cycle of injustice.
“Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka believed that the cyber gladiator’s reprehensive act of illegally displaying her image on social media represents a new low in online harassment and it’s a deliberate intent to defame and degrade her person which highlight dangers of weaponing social media platforms for personal vendettas.
“Moreover, sometimes in December 2023, the so called complainants have instituted an action against Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka and two others at Elere Police Division Agege in which the trio were later arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court of Lagos State in the Yaba Magisterial District holding at court No.1 before his Honour Adeola Olatubosun CM (ADMIN) and the duplicated copy of the case file was sent to office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice Alausa for advice Commissioner of Police vs Dorcas Adeyinka, Adekoya Folake and Sikiru Adekola Ayinde with charge No. A/01/24. On Monday 18th day of March 2024 the Court struck out the case base on DPP advice dully signed by Dr. Babajide Martins and state’s counsel informed the court that they have issued legal advice and we quote “there is before the court legal advice dated 15th of March 2024 Ref. No. LJP/MISC/2024/106/9, it is signed by Dr. Babajide Martins (DPP) it states that the prosecution cannot base its case on speculative evidence or conjecture, hence the 3 self/suspects will not be prosecuted and they hereby discharged. Case struck out” and just because the complainants were not satisfy with outcome of the court case they rush to the Police Force headquarters Abuja because they believed their friends or family can assist them in nailing the innocent woman in order for them to achieve their aim. Since the Police had published the WANTED of Madam Dorcas Adeyinka for an offence she claimed not to have committed, her opponents has continued bullying her on each of their Facebook shows threatened fire and brimstone that if she is up to the task she should go to Force Headquarters Abuja and see if she won’t go to jail.
“On Friday 14th of June 2024, the CHSR team visited the Police Force Headquarters Abuja to meet with the IGP Monitoring Team that is investigating the case and it was disclose and confirm to us that the case was between Madam Dorcas Adeyinka, Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami and others.That sometimes in March this year Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami and other ladies visited the Force Headquarters to complaint against Madam Dorcas Adeyinka for cyber related issues, and when discovered that they are all from Lagos the office directed the Lagos office to investigate the case, that while the Lagos office was on the case, there were several complaints of compromise and partisanship against the police by the so-called complainants, reasons why they ask the case file to be transferred back to Abuja.
“That all the parties involved were invited and are present at Abuja on the appointment date and after interrogation, the office discovered that they are all friends before the crises and discovered it’s a minor issue and that the office proposed to both parties to allow the office to resolve the matter for them in the interest of peaceful co-existence, but they all turned down the suggestion whereby both parties came up with new and counter accusation against each other, and base on that they write their report and submitted to the constituted authority it was not their office that declare her wanted.
“After CHSR investigation and interaction with the IGP Monitoring Team and sequel to outcome of the meeting, we writes a letter to the Executive Governor of Lagos State and Speaker of the Lagos State Assembly dated 26th June, 2024 to intervene in flagging down the WANTED order as all parties involved are Lagos residents and societal influencers operating within the State”.
The CHSR President disclosed that “Anybody being declared wanted by the police or any other security agency, is subjected to serious danger as he or she cannot walk freely on the street as such a person integrity and personality is already dented as a criminal, it means he or she can be arrested by anybody or be shot by any security personnel, because it is believed that before the authority declare an individual wanted such a person must have committed a serious crime against the state.
“In the foregoing, the CHSR as a right group that believed in equity and rule of law wish to inform IGP. Kayode Egbetokun that the issue of Madam Dorcas Adeyinka that was declared wanted by the police is a clear case of some social media influencers fighting themselves in a battle for a reason best known them both and also can be seen as a battle of supremacy that resulted to insulting and calling each other unprinted names, whereby some have family or friend relationship with some senior police officers than another, as it is on record that the other party are boasting day in day out on every of their Facebook shows that they have what it takes to deal with her and till 3 days ago one of them still bullied her and by the evidence submitted to us by the foundation, Madam Dorcas Adeyinka was not properly invited by the Police except a ’48 hours’ notice through a Whatsapp chat between her and one of the officer on 30th day of April 2024 asking her to report to Abuja on 2nd May 2024 in which he replied that she has an appointment with her doctor on same date that if it is urgent her lawyer will get in touch with them and she went ahead to ask the officer if it is only her or with 2 others but the officer responded that it is only her, only for the police to declare her wanted on Sunday 12th May 2024.
CHSR as a human rights advocacy group are demanding that “The Inspector General of Police should institute an investigating team to look into all the allegations of Mr. Suraju Asimiyu (Baba Ibeji) against Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi)
“The IGP should create an avenue to checkmate the act of abuse of office by police officers influenced by individuals against their perceived enemy.
“CHSR wishes to know the process, method and durations of serving a suspect within the state, outside the state and outs tide the country a police invitation letter before declaring the suspect wanted.
“We demand in the public interest that the Nigeria Police Force through the office of FPPRO should address and enlighten Nigerians the process then what and what one will do that can lead to him or her been declare wanted.
“For avoidance of being partisan and to see justice serve, the IGP should use his good office to step down the WANTED order on Dorcas Adeyinka to avail her opportunity to honor Police invite without being harass or embarrass.
“We hereby demand that the Nigeria Police force should tender its unreserved apology to Mr. Suraju Asimiyu (Baba Ibeji) with compensation for unlawfully detaining him for period of 11 weeks without trial or proper investigation” Comrade Alex Omotehinse concluded.
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