Lawyer petitions IGP over sack of three cops

A lawyer, Aiyewunmi Remilekun, has petitioned the Police Service
Commission (PSC) and Inspector-General of Police (IGP), over the
alleged unlawful dismissal of three policemen attached to Igbeba
Police Division of Ogun State Police Command.

Mufutau Olaosun, an Inspector; Adebayo Temitope, a Sergeant,
Adesoye Ayokunlehi and Bakare Taiwo who are corporals, were
dismissed last June for allegedly extorting N50,000 from Akala
Oluwatobi.

But Olaosun, Ayokunlehi and Adebayo, through their lawyer,
described their dismissal as “illegal and unlawful.”

In an August 27 petition , they complained of “intimidation,
harassment, political manoeuvering of orderly room proceedings and
conducts unbecoming of a police officer” against the officers who
conducted their orderly room trial.

The lawyer stated that sometime in June 2017, information was
lodged at the Area Commander’s office, Igbeba, information reached
the Igbeba Police Division that 10 youths were conducting
themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace at
Molupa.

Remilekun said: “Upon this information, the three cops and one
other were drafted to the area to prevent breakdown of law and
order, and for possible arrest, which the affected officers
immediately booked at the charge room before leaving for the
area.

“On getting to the area, the affected policemen were able to
arrest two of the boys while others ran away on sighting them.

“One of the boys when asked to identify himself but could not
give a satisfactory explanation, upon which the officers became
suspicious and the boy was taken to their office for interrogation
and investigation.”

The lawyer said when his clients conducted a search on the
arrested boy named Akala Oluwatobi, “N50, 000, was recovered from
him but he could not give a satisfactory account of the money.”

He said when the money was recovered it was registered with the
Exhibit keeper in register 084/2017, of June 6, and a case file was
opened and the statement of the arrested boy was taken.

Remilekun also stated that instead of the arrested boy to
present himself the next day with his father whom he claimed to be
his boss, as directed by the policemen, he opted to call Police
Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), following which the
Officer-in-Charge of the Unit directed the Divisional Police Office
(DPO) of Igbeba Police Division to investigate the matter and
report.

Remilekun added that the DPO’s report exornorated his clients,
“but this did not go down well with the Area Commander,” who
directed that his clients be tried in an orderly room.

According to him, the orderly room trial proceedings was then
altered against his clients.

The lawyer claimed that his clients were not given fair hearing
as no memorandum of appearance was issued to them before their
trial and they were also denied the right of Appeal.

This, he added, contravened the 1999 Constitution,” which
guarantees the right to fair hearing and the Police Act.

He demand an “immediate retraction of the police wireless
message DTO: 291121/06/2017, the publication purporting to dismiss
of our clients from the Nigerian Police Force and their immediate
reinstatement to their position without any loss of Rank, status
and remuneration, with a letter of apology to each of them.”

A lawyer, Aiyewunmi Remilekun, has petitioned the Police Service
Commission (PSC) and Inspector-General of Police (IGP), over the
alleged unlawful dismissal of three policemen attached to Igbeba
Police Division of Ogun State Police Command.

Mufutau Olaosun, an Inspector; Adebayo Temitope, a Sergeant,
Adesoye Ayokunlehi and Bakare Taiwo who are corporals, were
dismissed last June for allegedly extorting N50,000 from Akala
Oluwatobi.

But Olaosun, Ayokunlehi and Adebayo, through their lawyer,
described their dismissal as “illegal and unlawful.”

In an August 27 petition , they complained of “intimidation,
harassment, political manoeuvering of orderly room proceedings and
conducts unbecoming of a police officer” against the officers who
conducted their orderly room trial.

The lawyer stated that sometime in June 2017, information was
lodged at the Area Commander’s office, Igbeba, information reached
the Igbeba Police Division that 10 youths were conducting
themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace at
Molupa.

Remilekun said: “Upon this information, the three cops and one
other were drafted to the area to prevent breakdown of law and
order, and for possible arrest, which the affected officers
immediately booked at the charge room before leaving for the
area.

“On getting to the area, the affected policemen were able to
arrest two of the boys while others ran away on sighting them.

“One of the boys when asked to identify himself but could not
give a satisfactory explanation, upon which the officers became
suspicious and the boy was taken to their office for interrogation
and investigation.”

The lawyer said when his clients conducted a search on the
arrested boy named Akala Oluwatobi, “N50, 000, was recovered from
him but he could not give a satisfactory account of the money.”

He said when the money was recovered it was registered with the
Exhibit keeper in register 084/2017, of June 6, and a case file was
opened and the statement of the arrested boy was taken.

Remilekun also stated that instead of the arrested boy to
present himself the next day with his father whom he claimed to be
his boss, as directed by the policemen, he opted to call Police
Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), following which the
Officer-in-Charge of the Unit directed the Divisional Police Office
(DPO) of Igbeba Police Division to investigate the matter and
report.

Remilekun added that the DPO’s report exornorated his clients,
“but this did not go down well with the Area Commander,” who
directed that his clients be tried in an orderly room.

According to him, the orderly room trial proceedings was then
altered against his clients.

The lawyer claimed that his clients were not given fair hearing
as no memorandum of appearance was issued to them before their
trial and they were also denied the right of Appeal.

This, he added, contravened the 1999 Constitution,” which
guarantees the right to fair hearing and the Police Act.

He demand an “immediate retraction of the police wireless
message DTO: 291121/06/2017, the publication purporting to dismiss
of our clients from the Nigerian Police Force and their immediate
reinstatement to their position without any loss of Rank, status
and remuneration, with a letter of apology to each of them.”