IG orders probe into Lagos couple’s battering

          

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the alleged battering of a couple by a policeman, Mr Dada Ogunsanya. Ogunsanya allegedly brutalised a photographer, Ejeh Smith and his wife, Grace, at the Lekki area of Lagos State.

Also, the Lagos State Police Command said it was already investigating the matter. Abba, who spoke through the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, said that in line with his avowed commitment to protect and uphold the human rights of all Nigerians, he would ensure a thorough investigation into the matter. Ejeh and Grace were going home in a taxi when Ogunsanya and six other policemen flagged down the cab. Ogunsanya asked the driver to open the car’s boot. Continue after the cut...

The couple asked him to stop flashing his torchlight in their faces, since the inner light of the vehicle was on. This apparently angered the policeman, who allegedly hit Ejeh’s eye with his rifle. He was also said to have punched Grace in the face. Speaking with journalists, Grace said that Ogunsanya stomped on her stomach and dragged her on the ground. The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area, Mrs Aishat Haruna, dashed to the scene and rather than sympathised with the couple, allegedly supported her men and even threatened to lock up the couple.

Abba said: “The officer involved has been identified and is already undergoing administrative trial. All other officers whose conduct did not speak well on the incident are also be-ng sanctioned, preparatory to further necessary action.”

The IG also reiterated the determination of the force to abide by the contents of the newly launched NPF Human Rights Practice Manual, stressing that no abuse of human rights would be tolerated in the force. Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, said they were investigating the immediate and remote circumstances surrounding the incident. Nwosu said the officer in question was already undergoing departmental disciplinary proceedings at the Provost Office. He added: “However, his trial has been delayed due to the refusal of the complainant, Mr Ejeh Smith, to make a statement and narrate his own part of the story.”