… after trailing yahoo suspect into hotel
An Assistant Superintendent of
Police (ASP) and a sergeant, attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP),
Mr Ibrahim Idris’s Crack Squad, have been beaten to a state of coma by staff
and guests of Pelican International Hotel and Resort, located at Lekki Ajah
area of Lagos State.
The policemen were attacked and
beaten after they trailed a suspected cybercrime fraudster, otherwise known as
yahoo suspect, into the hotel.
The policemen were also alleged to
have gone into the hotel to arrest the suspect while in mufti.
It is believed that they were on
illegal operation since they allegedly did not book and announced their
presence at the nearest police station, which was Ilasan Police Station.
Trouble reared its head after they
got into the hotel and refused to buy anything. The barman didn’t like that and
questioned them. Before one could say Jack Robison, there was a heated quarrel,
leading to exchange of fisticuffs.
When the violent situation was
finally arrested, the two policemen had been beaten to bloody pulps. Although
the two policemen were accompanied to the hotel by a corporal, the corporal, however,
disappeared when the situation turned ugly.
The ASP has been identified as
Sonny, while the sergeant is Curtis. The two policemen and the fleeing corporal
are all attached to the IGP’s Crack Squad, working at Lagos State Police
Command Headquarters.
The policemen were rushed to the
Ikeja Police College, Clinic. Curtis was said to have received a pint of blood
in other to survive, while doctors battled to save the sight of Sonny.
Incidentally, Curtis, some weeks
back, shattered another policeman’s leg with his rifle, while chasing after a
yahoo suspect, in another alleged illegal operation.
A source said: “Yes, the manager of
the hotel and two other people were arrested, but released that same day. The
policemen came on illegal operation. If it was a genuine operation, they would
have booked at Ilasan Police Station, which was the nearest police station
there, but they didn’t. In fact, if not for the intervention of policemen from
Ilasan Police Station, those policemen would have been beaten to death.”
According to an eye witness, the
three policemen trailed a suspected cyber fraudster to the hotel. They parked
their car, removed their uniforms and rifles, and kept all in the car.
They moved into the hotel, but
wouldn’t buy anything. When the barman told them that such was not allowed,
they allegedly picked quarrel with him. The policemen also allegedly didn’t
introduce themselves.
The heated argument snowballed,
leading to the manager and owner of the hotel attempting to find out what was
going on. The policemen also allegedly refused to deign them with a response,
rather, they attacked both owner and manager.
The witness said: “ When some guests
saw how the men attacked the owner of the hotel, they joined in the fight,
beating the two men. It was when they were almost at the point of death that
they introduced themselves as policemen. The owner had to call policemen from
Ilasan Police Station.”
The men were taken to hospital and their
three rifles later recovered.
The source further said: “Instead of
them to explain that they were policemen and that they came to make an arrest,
they engaged the barman in an argument, leading to quarrel and fighting. When
the manager came to find out what was the problem was, they slapped him. The
owner of the hotel, who saw them arguing and fighting on his office CCTV, came
down to find out what the matter was. He made efforts to separate those
fighting, but they pounced on him on him as well. When some of the people in
the hotel saw that the owner was being attacked, they joined in beating the policemen.
“The sergeant was stabbed and his
head shattered. The ASP was battered in the eyes. They later introduced themselves
as policemen. The owner asked why they didn’t introduced themselves earlier.
When they were asked in the hotel, whom they came to arrest, they refused to
say. They were ashamed of saying they came to arrest a yahoo suspect.”
The policemen were rushed to a
nearby hospital in the area but later moved to the Police College Clinic. When
their parked car was searched, three rifles and uniforms were found and
handed over to Ilasan Police Station. It was also gathered that in the
melee, the suspected fraudster fled.
It was also gathered, that the owner
of the hotel, later extended an olive branch to the injured policemen.
The eye witness further disclosed:
“The owner of the hotel has apologized and even promised to pay the policemen
hospital bill and compensate them. The Area J Commander went with him to plead
with the policemen.”
On Tuesday, our correspondent went
to the Pelican International Hotel and Resort situated at 7, Ibukun Awosike
Street, Chevy View Estate, by Chevron Roundabout Lekki. The workers refused to
speak with our correspondent and denied of being aware of occurrence of such an
incident. They also refused
to provide the owner and manager’s phone number.
A dark complexion lady at the hotel
said: “ Our proprietor and manager are not around. You should leave and come
back another day.”
While she was still speaking, a fair
complexion man walked over to our correspondent, saying the owner and manager
were in a management meeting. He advised our correspondent to return the
following day.
When our correspondent wanted to
wait for the management meeting to end, in order to have a chat with the
manager and owner of the hotel over the attack on the policemen, the hotel
staff ordered him to leave.
According to them, “we don’t allow
people to wait in our hotel for anybody.”
The Lagos State Police Public
Relations Officer (PPRO), Olarinde Famous-Cole, when contacted on the matter, confirmed
the incident.
He added: “Two men, among those that
assaulted the policemen have been arrested. The case has been transferred to
the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, police headquarters, where we can
be able to monitor investigations properly. This will serve as deterrent to members
of the public to stop attacking policemen. Investigations are however ongoing
and further findings on the matter will be made public. The policemen have
received treatment.”
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