CHRSJ Accuses Policemen In Ogun Of Aiding Drug Peddling, Smuggling, Cultism
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*Seeks outright dismissal, investigation, trial jail term for errant personnel
A civil rights group, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has accused policemen in Ogun State of engaging in some unwholesome activities such as car snatching, aiding and facilitating drug peddling, smuggling of banned items as well as cultism.
A statement issued by the Executive Chairman of the CHRSJ, Comrade Adeniyi A. Sulaiman on Monday listed the affected divisional stations where these unwholesome acts are being committed to include those in Owode, Iju-Attan and the Magbon Federal Anti-robbery Squad, all in Ogun State.
Specifically, Sulaiman accused men of the Owode Divisional Station of aiding cultism by shielding cultists who have been visiting terror on the hapless people of the area from being arrested as men of the police force seem to have devised the act of looking the other way.
According to Sulaiman, “On Wednesday 14th February, 2018 at the Army Day Secondary School located within the 192 Battalion military barracks besides Owode Divisional Police station, some cultists named simply as Lateef (who is said to be the principal suspect), Ahmed and Adesina Toheeb Adisa who is said to be at large attacked a fellow student, Anome Enereh an 18 year-old student of Junior Secondary School 2E.
“The cultists who are said to be members of the dreaded Black Axe Confraternity were said to have cut Enereh’s right hand for looking at them suspiciously after the victim’s father sent them away from his back yard where they used to have their nocturnal meetings.”
Sulaiman added that the Principal of the school, Mr. Akanni Omole reported the matter to the police on the very day but the police refused to take the appropriate action until the father of the victim, Thomas Enereh was forced to report the incidence on the 19th and 20th of February.
“The victim’s father who is said to be a retired soldier was forced to take the steps when it appeared that police personnel were not forthcoming on the need to apprehend and prosecute those involved in the mutilation of his son.
“Unfortunately, the police have never taken any action on the issue as we speak and the only thing we keep hearing is that the affected students have relocated from the town and it would be difficult to trace them as they claimed they did not leave any address behind.” Sulaiman added.
He accused the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. AbiodunAgboola Muri of doing very little to apprehend the errant students pointing out that the police could not undertake to apprehend them since they have left town and that it was not the duty of the force to look for anyone.”
He added that one officer; Olabisi who is the DCO who was initially disposed to looking for them has since soft pedaled prompting the suspicion that he had joined the league of those frustrating the course of justice.
“The course of justice has also been frustrated by the attitude of the investigating police officer, Mr. Isiaka who restated the position of the DPO that the police force as an institution does not undertake to look for suspects who’s activities have been reported to the police.’ He said.
Sulaiman added that Isiaka offered that the parents of the victims should collect the sum of N100,000 being a payment for an out-of-court settlement saying he was acting on the prompting of the DPO and the DCO and that he went further to request the parents of the victims not forget to pay their (policemen’s) commission from the settlement.
On the activities of the men in Magbon, he accused one officer whose identity is simply known as Wole who is said to be attached to the Federal SARS in Magbon of conniving with some other officers in Iju-Attan Police Station known as Odidi Folake, Adeniyi Rahseed with the Officer in charge of Magbon whose identity remains unknown of escorting drug laden vehicles from Benin Republic into the country.
“From our findings, we have since discovered that one of the vehicles being used for smuggling belongs to a couple who is simply known as Iya Alex and her husband. Up till now, they are operating freely without any form of arrest with the support of the policemen. These criminal have even boasted that nothing would happen to them because they enjoy high level connections.” He said.
He added that “Sometimes ago, we reported that one Mr. Kayode Akinleye who bought a vehicle on install mental basis expose the illegal business activities of the couple but was quickly arrested on the 5th of March till Monday 19th when he was eventually released after the intervention of the Inspector-General through the his (IG) Monitoring Squad, Abuja; under the leadership of a top ranking officer, known as Michael (a deputy commissioner of police).”
Sulaiman added that though he has been set free after having spent 15 days in police cell, currently, Akinleye’s car, Volkswagen Vento is with officer Wole and his other accomplices in Magbon Federal SARS.
The group also thanked the commander of the IG X-Squad in Ogun State Police Command, one Ezekiel (an assistant police Commissioner) and the commander of the IG X-Squad, one officer known as Lanre, (also an assistant police commissioner) in the Lagos State Police Command for the release of Akinleye in court.
Sulaiman added that the group sent a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, the Senate President and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission on Monday 7th, August 2017 over the conduct of a certain officer called Ogedengbe at the same Federal SARS in Magbon.
“We reported him to the police top hierarchy for habitually shooting innocent members of the public under the pretext of trying to catch armed robbers. A case in point is the fate of one Adetiba Sunday who was eventually released by the court, not after he lost his two legs from gunshot wounds that have left him paralysed since then.” He said.
He concluded that “We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dongara, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Chairmen of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Police Affairs and the Chairman of the Nigeria Police Council, Director-General of the DSS, Director-General of the NDLEA and the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service and the Inspector-General of Police himself to quickly liberate the people of the area from the scourge of secret cultists and drug pushers.
“We are also waiting on the commissioner of police in charge of Ogun State to quickly swing into action by taking the appropriate actions that would eventually free the people of the area who are currently being traumatized by the action of these criminals. These assistance is needed in the area if the people must not resort to self help, ” he concluded.
