Lawyer kicks over alleged unlawful dismissal of his clients

Lagos-based Lawyer, Aiyewunmi Remilekun, has petitioned the Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC) and Inspector-General of Police (IGP), over alleged unlawful dismissal of three policemen attached to Igbeba Police Division of Ogun state Police Command.

Police authority had sometimes in June 2017 dismissed four policemen on Ijebu-Ode Command, namely: Mufutau Olaosun, an Inspector; Adebayo
Temitope, a sergeant, and Adesoye Ayokunlehi and Bakare Taiwo who are both corporal, for allegedly extorting one Akala Oluwatobi of the sum of
N50, 000.

But Mufutau, Ayokunlehi and Temitope petitioned the PSC and IGP through their counsel, describing their dismissal as illegal and unlawful.

The petition is dated August 27, 2017. In it, the lawyer said sometimes in June 2017,
information was lodged at the Area Commander’s office, Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state, that some boys numbering ten were conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of Public peace at Molupa.

According to him, upon the 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 and were able to arrest suspects.

He stated that when his clients conducted a search on the arrested Oluwatobi, the sum of N50, 000 was recovered from him but he could not give satisfactory account of the money.

He said the officers registered the money recovered appropriately in Exhibit keeper register 084/2017, of June 6, 2017, and a case file was opened.

He also stated that the suspect called Police Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), and the DPO of Igbeba Police Division was directed to investigate the matter and report.

The lawyer said the DPO’s report exonerated his clients, but that it did not go down well with the Area Commander, who directed that his clients be tried in an orderly room and further conspired with others to alter the proceedings and the judgment of the investigation and the orderly room trial.

He insisted that documents to prove his clients innocence were waived aside.