Battered woman accused police chief of supporting domestic violence

 Taiwo Jimoh

IGP, Mohammed Adamu

A Ghanaian lady, Miss Magdalene Hackman, has accused Policemen attached to Area M Police Command Headquarter, Idimu, Lagos State, of discrimination in investigating a case of domestic violence and abduction of her three years old baby by his father, Mr Udoka Ezeimo.

Hackman said that the police, rather than carry out impartial investigation in order to locate her son and arrest her live-in-lover for battering, had been pussy-footing over the case.

According to her, she reported a case of domestic violence and child abduction to the police, but since she reported the matter at Isheri Police Station, followed by its transfer to Area M Police Command, the matter appeared to have met a dead end.

According to Hackman, she was shocked when an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), in charge of Area M Police Command Headquarter, after asking her to narrate what led to her lodging a complaint with the police, later asked her to go back to her violator. He told that Ezeimo has promised never to hit her again.

She alleged that Ezeimo had disappeared with their son after telling her that he would never marry her because she’s a Ghanaian. Hackman was not the only person disappointed in the conduct of the area commander.

The Secretary of the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN), Ebenezer Omejalile, said: “Udoka was instructed by the Isheri Police Station Divisional Police Officer (DPO), to come along with the abducted baby, but surprisingly, he didn't show up with the baby. Udoka and Magdalene were also taken to see the Area M Commander and it was shocking that the area commander choose to be ethnic biased as he didn't see anything wrong in what Udoka did. The Area Commander asked the woman to go back to the man, who had publicly humiliated her because she's a Ghanaian and with so many domestic violence recorded in the relationship. I’m very disappointed with the area commander. How can he asked a woman, who had been abused and traumatised, to go back to such a relationship? According to the Child’s Rights Act, every child needs protection. The Act, Sections 1, 2 and 3, state that everything we do should be in the best interest of the child. Also in the law, children who are not up to five years old are usually under the custodies of their mothers.”

When Ezeimo was contacted to get his side of the story, he responded that he didn’t have anything to say on the matter as the matter was already before the police. He then hissed and dropped the call.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, was contacted concerning the matter, said: “The area commander agreed to settle the matter amicably between the couple. Udoka had alleged that his wife wanted to travel to Ghana with the baby and he feared she wouldn’t return to Nigeria with the baby. That was why he didn’t want her to take the baby away. But right now, the husband has taken the baby to somewhere in the east. He has, when he was contacted by the police, promised to return the baby to Lagos and opted for peaceful settlement.”