Akanni Adeyeye has narrated how police officers in Ado Ekiti allegedly brutalised his wife Toyin for refusing to give them bribe.
PUNCH reports that Toyin, who returned from the United States of America ten days prior to the incident, was said to have been taken to the New Iyin Police Station alongside her two month-old baby, Heritage and her younger brother, Adeniyi Dada.
Adeyeye alleged that the beating continued at the station, adding that his wife’s car was also impounded.
The incident took place at a police checkpoint, few metres away from the residence of the state’s police commissioner, Abdullah Chafe.
About five officers were said to have carried out the alleged attack.
When contacted, the police commissioner, Chafe said that the victim was detained for slapping a police officer and tearing his uniform, adding that the matter is still under investigation.
“Those people slapped my policeman on duty and tore (his) 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,” Chafe said.
Adeyeye, who disclosed that his wife spent the night at the police station, said:
My wife and her brother were returning from the market at about 3.00pm 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 10.00pm. 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 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 attack an armed policeman? They are cooking up this falsehood to cover up their brutality.
Funke Anoma, the chairperson for Ekiti state chapter of Federation of International Women Lawyers told PUNCH that investigation into the matter is ongoing.
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