Security
A young man identified as Oluwatosin has taken recounted how some rogue policemen attached to Abattoir Division in Agege, Lagos, assaulted and robbed him of over N50,000 for asking why they wanted to see his mobile phone.
Oluwatosin said the action of the policemen was the greatest height of shamelessness.
According to him, the policemen, who were in plainclothes and armed, stopped him around 1pm on Sunday while he was heading to Abule Egba for his daily business.
He said they were in front of the Abattoir Police Station when they stopped him and that they searched his car but found nothing incriminating.
“Then they insisted they wanted my particulars which I showed them. Then they forcefully wanted to collect my phone, I refused and insisted that I won’t let them have it, that I know the law and it says no policeman should ask for any citizen’s phone only in rare cases and that’s after several investigations had been done.
“Then, they slapped me repeatedly and kicked me after explaining the law to them, and punched me on my face. One threatened to shoot me if I didn’t let go of my phone.
Afterwards, they forcefully collected my key from me and one of them drove the car into the station.
“Two other policemen dragged me on the floor into the station. Then, the one that drove the car opened my dashboard locker and collected N50,000 cash I had in my car with some other additional money which was up to N5,400 in the car.
“Then the two policemen that were forcefully dragging me into the station asked me to open my bank app, and while being dragged and roughhandled in the station, he then started writing statements for me. They refused to allow me to write my own statement.
“He then started beating me up again and took off my clothes and asked me to carry a placard in making a video of me saying that I’m a criminal, that they should lock me up.
“Then he asked to bring N200,000 to bail myself. I told him that I don’t have such money on me. He didn’t believe me, that was when they started beating me, in which I opened my bank app for them. So when they saw that I had only N7,000 in my account.”
“They returned my car key and my clothes and ordered me to leave the station and not say a word to anyone else.
Oluwatosin’s ordeal generated public condemnation with the spokesman for the Lagos Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin promising to get to the root of the issue.
Hours later, Oluwatosin confirmed that his stolen N50,000 has been refunded. He thanked Hundeyin and others who ensured justice was done in the matter.
-The nation
KN
Tags: Oluwatosin SP Benjamin Hundeyin
