Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Woman battered by inspector detained for lodging complaint

Juliana Francis and Kunle Olayeni, Abeokuta
A woman, Abidemi, has accused a police inspector, Ijisakin Amos Temitope of Adatan Police Station in Ogun State Police, of battering her.

According to her, the inspector attacked and beat after she asked him about her missing phone.
Abidemi explained that she forgot the phone by the window of Temitope, who happened to be her neighbour. She said that less than five minutes after she left the place, where she kept the phone, she rushed back, only to discovered it missing.
When she asked from Temitope, if he saw the phone, he got angry and pounced on her.
She said: “On July 12, 2019, morning, I was outside with my family, cutting freshly harvested coconut and placed my phone on his window frame. I entered my flat forgetting the phone there; within three minutes, I went out to pick the phone, but it was gone.
“At that time, there was nobody was in the compound except me, my family, Inspector Ijisakin Amos Temitope and his girlfriend. I asked my sister to go and ask him about the phone, but he denied picking it. I told him it was less than five minutes that left the scene and nobody has entered the compound. The phone was definitely within the premise. He went into a rage and descended on me.
“He beat me into stupor for daring to ask for a lost phone, which was forgotten on the outside of his window frame. He later brought out the phone and smashed it on the floor. I saw hell in his hand; I was mercilessly beaten.”
Abidemi and Temitope live in the compound-ground floor. The woman said that the issue between them started on July 11, after she saw a stranger trying to open gate to their compound at about 10pm.
She said: “I confronted him out of fear, wondering where he got the keys to the main gate. He said the Inspector asked him to pick the keys from where we normally keep it. I considered such an action as a security risk. Temitope for sometimes now has often send many people-ladies and men to pick the keys from where we normally kept it, secured for them to come to his house.
“On July 12, 2019, as neighbour, I drew his attention to the security implications of various unknown people he usually sends to pick keys and open our security gate. He flew into rage, asking what audacity I had to be questioning him about security issue. He threatened to beat me if I dared confront him on such issue.”
She had to rush to hospital, to take care of herself, after which she went to Obantoko Police Station to make a formal report.
Abidemi said: “At the station, I met the shock of my life. I was threatened with arrest and detention for daring to come and report the assault and brutality of the policeman on my person. I was actually detained behind the counter for hours. It was my father, a retired police, who called the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), before I could be released! The matter could have ended on this note of injustice, but on getting home, Inspector Temitope promised to deal with me. Temitope has promised to kill me and my family members. He said ‘as a police officer, he was above the law.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, while confirming that the command was aware of the incident, added that the command has commenced investigation into the incident. According to him, the Public Complaints Bureau of the command was handling the matter.
"The case has come to the knowledge of the command and the Public Complaint Bureau of the command is investigating it," Oyeyemi stated.

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