A woman, Mrs. Toyin
Adeyeye, her two months old baby, Heritage, and her younger brother,
Adeniyi Dada were allegedly beaten up and detained for refusing to give
bribe at a checkpoint in Ado Ekiti.
The woman was arrested
with her baby and brother at the checkpoint in front of Ekiti Pavilion
where they were allegedly beaten by about five policemen who later took
them to the New Iyin Police Station where the beating continued.
The incident happened few meters away from the official residence of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdullahi Chafe.
Mrs. Adeyeye returned
from the United States of America ten days earlier where she had gone to
deliver the baby. Apart from detaining the trio, the police also
impounded the black Kia Picanto car with registration number LAGOS FKJ
221 EE with which they were coming from the market.
The woman was breastfeeding her baby Saturday morning when our reporter visited the police station on a fact-finding mission.
Speaking with reporters
on Saturday, the woman’s husband, Mr. Akanni Adeyeye, decried the
alleged brutality meted out to his wife with lacerations on her body and
bruises on the face.
Adeyeye who slept in the
police station in solidarity with his wife explained that the policemen
requested for vehicle particulars and driver’s licence of his
brother-in-law who drove the car which are still valid.
He said one of the
policemen withheld the documents demanding that they be “settled,” a
euphemism for bribe which Mrs. Adeyeye and her brother on account that
the vehicles papers are valid.
Adeyeye added: “My wife
and her brother were returning from the market at about 3.00 pm on
Friday and on arrival at the checkpoint in front of the Pavilion very
close to their station, they asked for all vehicle papers and driver’s
licence which were produced and they are valid.
“After checking all the
documents, the policemen were demanding for money to be given as
‘settlement’ which my wife and her brother refused. My wife drew their
attention to the baby that was crying in the car.
“Five of them were
beating her at the point of arrest and on getting to the station, the
beating continued. After thoroughly beating her, they obtained her
statement around 10.00 pm. There are wounds on the back of my wife and
face to show for it.
“On getting to the station, they now cooked up a story that my wife
slapped one of them and tore his uniform which is a lie. They are
telling this lie to justify their action of their cruelty to my wife, my
baby and my brother-in-law.
“Neither my wife nor her
brother slapped any policeman or tore any uniform. The question to be
asked is how would somebody who is not armed attacked an armed
policeman? They have cooked up this falsehood to cover up their
brutality.”
Already, the state chapter of Federation of International Women
Lawyers (FIDA), has launched an investigation into the matter as the
state chairperson of the body, Mrs. Funke Anoma, visited the station in
connection with the incident at about 12.30 pm.
When contacted on
phone, the state Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Chafe, said the
detainees slapped a policeman on duty and tore is uniform adding that
the matter was still under investigation.
Chafe said: “Those people slapped my policeman on duty and tore
their uniform. Uniform is an authority and what those people did was
against the law and it is not good for a civilian to slap a policeman.
“It is not good for
somebody to prevent a law enforcement officer from carrying out his
lawful duty. Somebody wearing the uniform? It is not about his age but
the authority he carries. I don’t allow my men to do something contrary
to the law.
“I don’t want a woman to
be detained with baby or with pregnancy. I don’t want an old woman of a
minor to be detained. I have taken note of this and we will take the
right action on the matter.”
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