The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim
Idris has been urged to probe the activities of detectives attached to the
Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS), Ikorodu, Lagos State, under Zone 2 Police
Command, Onikan.
The call to take this action was advocated by Mr
Obimdi Ocho of Fomula 2 Hotel &Suite, located at 1&2 Oluwa Memorial,
Olodi Apapa, Lagos.
Ocho, who made this call in a petition, through his
lawyer, Mr Dan Okonkwo, said that he was specifically complaining about Supol Musibau
Salawu of ZIS over alleged professional misconduct, misuse of power,
extortion and rudeness to members of the public.
According to Okonkwo, Ocho briefed him that on
November 24, 2017, some policemen barged into his hotel complex in
commando style and demanded to know if it was true that security guards
attached to his hotel were usually armed with rifles. Ocho told them that the rifles
in possession of his security guards had license, which he immediately
presented to the policemen.
Okonkwo said: “Our client was informed by the
policemen that a Pump Action rifle does not have license, but our client told
us that when he bought the rifle, he took it to Ikeja Police Command where he
was issued a license in 2015. They further questioned our client on why his
guards were armed, he told them that cult members used to disturb customers and
members of the public in the community, depriving them of their valuables.
“Our client briefed us that he had had series of cult boys coming into the hotel, and these boys sometimes used to fight the security men, and had often injured them. The case was reported at Trinity Police Station. They were arrested and handed over to Federal Special Anti-Robbery, where they were thereafter charged to court.”
“Our client briefed us that he had had series of cult boys coming into the hotel, and these boys sometimes used to fight the security men, and had often injured them. The case was reported at Trinity Police Station. They were arrested and handed over to Federal Special Anti-Robbery, where they were thereafter charged to court.”
Okonkwo explained that in spite of Ocho’s answering
all ZIS operatives’ questions, they still went ahead to arrest one of the
guards identified as Cyril Nwachukwu. They whisked him away in their vehicle
and didn’t drop phone number or their office contact address.
Ocho ran to Trinity Police Station to inform them of
the situation. It was there that he was told that the men came from Zonal
Intervention Squad, Ladegboye, Ikorodu. Ocho later got the phone number of one
of the policemen, identified as Supol Musibau Salawu.
Okonkwo said: “When Musibau Salawu was called, he
picked offence and ordered his men to come down to the hotel and arrest our
client. These policemen handcuffed our client, with his hands behind and put
him into the boot of their car. They moved him to their office at Ikorodu,
where he was manhandled just because of the calls he made.”
The lawyer said that when Ocho got to the ZIS office,
the policemen placed a gun in his hand and took photographs of him.
Okonkwo said: “These policemen came to his hotel,
handcuffed and bundled him into the boot of their waiting car. At their Ikorodu
office, they handed him a gun and took his photograph. They threatened that if
he didn’t give them N1 million, they would send his pictures to media houses,
especially online publishers, alleging that he was arrested during a robbery
operation.
“The sum of N400, 000 was collected from our client before he was released around 12.30am. On December 4, 2017, one of the team members went to our client and collected the sum of N60, 000.”
“The sum of N400, 000 was collected from our client before he was released around 12.30am. On December 4, 2017, one of the team members went to our client and collected the sum of N60, 000.”
The lawyer explained that the policemen told Ocho that
because of some phone calls he made after policemen stormed his hotel, the IGP,
the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in charge of Zone 2, Mr.
Ibrahim Adamu and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Edgal Imohimi,
were all now aware of the case. The detectives allegedly claimed that the money
collected from Ocho, would be used to settle these senior police officers.
Okonkwo urged the IGP to check the inordinate ambition
of Supol Salawu and his men and restrain them from further harassing Ocho.
When Zone 2 spokesperson, Dolapo Badmus was contacted
on the issue of the policemen, she promised to find out the fact of the matter
and get back to our correspondent. But since Thursday, she had refused to pick
her calls or respond to text messages.
When our correspondent called Salawu about the allegations, he said: “It’s not true. But I can’t talk right now. I will call you back.”
When our correspondent called Salawu about the allegations, he said: “It’s not true. But I can’t talk right now. I will call you back.”
A senior police officer, however, disclosed that the
policemen were already being quizzed on the allegations.
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