DPO detained over escape of killer cop

The police top hierarchy has ordered the immediate detention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of Okota Police Station.

The DPO, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Mr. London Aloba, was said to have been detained for allowing a corporal who shot and killed two civilians who were on motorbike to escape.

The order for the arrest, detention and immediate interrogation of London came from Abuja after family members of the deceased wrote petitions.

The family of the victims became uneasy after the case appeared to have sudden gone cold. But determined to get justice for their beloved ones, they had petitioned the IGP.

The incident happened at Idimu\Igando area of Lagos State, in 2013.  

The two men who were killed were sent on errand by their boss. Policemen on duty along the road had attempted to flag the motorbike rider down, but the motorbike rider allegedly refused to stop. Another version of the story claimed that when they policemen, who were armed flagged the motorbike rider, he stopped, but started riding away when they demanded for money.

The irrefutable fact however was that one of the policemen opened fire, killing the two motorbike riders of the cyclist.

It was later gathered that the Igando Police Station was almost razed down by angry mob, policemen on duty however held sway. Later it was learned that though the policemen were at the axis between Igando and Idimu, they were actually from Idimu Police Station, not Igando as thought by the irate mob.

The shooter, who his colleagues fingered, was detained at the Police Provost Office.

London was the Officer in Charge of Provost back then. He was supposed to interrogate the corporal and even carried out an orderly room trial on him.

He was also expected to make a recommendation, which many policemen said was usually dismissal and trial at court, for policemen who killed for unjustifiable reasons.

A police source: “In fact, we heard that the police authourity recommended the killer cop for dismissal and the case file was forward to the Commissioner of Police. We forgot about the case. Everybody thought the corporal had been dismissed. Nobody knew that London, who had become DPO Okota Police Station, allowed him to go. Families of victims’’ have petitioned the IGP. It when the IGP called for the corporal that problem started.”

The source added that London released the corporal on bail, instructing him to be reporting every day at the Police Command. The corporal reported twice and stopped.

“The lawyer of the victims sued the IGP, AIG, CP and DPO Idimu Police Station, where the corporal was attached to. When the matter reached the IGP, he instructed CP. Manko to look into the case. CP said he should be charged for murder, dismissed and charged to court, but suddenly the corporal was nowhere to be found. The present OC Provost said that the corporal had been released and that his released order was signed by London. London was immediately ordered to produce the corporal or be detained. London was also immediately replaced by another DPO at Okota Police Station,” said a policeman.