These are the kind of stories I read that make me lose hope in
the police force and Nigeria as a whole. It is enough that the officer admitted
hitting the victims so hard, it is enough the pains they went through, at least
even though we were not there, the photos speak out loud. These are the stories
young people like us read, and ask ourselves, which way Nigeria? Is it a must
we live in this country? Is this the country we intend to raise our kids and
start a family? Where a police officer is automatically above the law in some
cases? It’s just sad, really sad. Now they are allegedly framing the man up as
a criminal. Read the story as reported by Punch after the cut, and I tell you
it will break your heart.
The power-drunk cop who tortured a couple in the Ikoyi area
of Lagos State, Dada Ogunsanya, has been freed by the police.
However, one of the victims of the torture, Ejeh Smith, is
currently being detained in the Ikoyi Police Division.
Punch Metro gathered on Wednesday that the police at the
Ikoyi division were mounting pressure on him to admit that he was a criminal.
He was initially arrested by the Lion Building Police
Division for allegedly receiving stolen diesel. The Ikoyi division heard about
the case after Ejeh had been granted bail, but nevertheless rearrested and
brought him before some selected journalists.
The action, it was learnt, was targeted at rubbishing
earlier reports indicting Ogunsanya and the then Ikoyi Divisional Police
Officer, Aisha Haruna.
Our correspondent had reported in December, 2014 that
Ogunsanya, a corporal attached to the Ikoyi division stopped a cab conveying
Ejeh and his wife, Grace, home.
The policeman, who was part of a patrol team, was said to
have shone his torch on the passengers, who protested that the inner lights of
the cab should have sufficed.
Angry Ogunsanya was said to have used his rifle to hit Ejeh
in the eye and stepped on Grace’s stomach.
The DPO, Haruna, was alleged to have deleted Grace’s
recording of the incident.
The matter was still ongoing, when Punch Metro learnt on
Wednesday that Ogunsanya had been released, while Ejeh had been detained for
another matter.
Ejeh’s wife, Grace, said her husband was arrested for
allegedly receiving a stolen keg of diesel.
She said, “Last week, I returned from work and I saw a
25-litre keg of diesel in the house. My husband said a security man in the next
compound wanted to sell it to him. He explained that the security man said he
did not have money on him.
“My husband told the man that he would help him sell the
fuel, as he had no use of the product.”
It was gathered that the security man had stolen the fuel
from his employer, which was later detected through a CCTV camera.
Policemen from the Lion Building division were said to have
arrested Smith after the suspect mentioned his name.
Grace said the police in the Lion Building granted bail to
her husband, but as Ejeh was going home, policemen from the Ikoyi Division
surfaced and said the complainant had demanded that the matter be transferred
to the division.
It was gathered that the DPO of Ikoyi division at the time
of the torture, Aisha Haruna, is now the DPO of the Lion Building division.
Grace said, “After we paid N15, 000 for Smith’s bail in the
Lion Building division, the police said he should be taken to the Ikoyi Police
Division, that the owner of the case wanted it transferred there.
“The lawyer representing the complainant wanted to withdraw
the case, but the police said the case should go on.
“The police then asked my husband to accept that he is a
criminal, so that they can rubbish whatever we said they did to us. They also
invited some journalists to interview him.”
It was gathered that Ogunsanya, who was back at the Ikoyi
division, had been insisting on Ejeh’s arraignment in court.
But the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command,
Kenneth Nwosu, said the police did not frame the couple.
He, however, admitted that Ogunsanya had been released,
saying his trial had ended.
He said, “Dada Ogunsanya’s trial has ended and his rank was
reduced from corporal to constable.
“Smith was arrested by his community for receiving stolen
goods and was brought to the Ikoyi Police Division for investigations before
charging the matter to court.
“Nobody organised a press conference on his arrest. Some
journalists heard about his arrest and called me that they would like to
interview him and I cannot stop them.”
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