Lagos lawyer loses eye in another police brutality
Elimihe
Another case of police brutality was recorded in Lagos yesterday as policemen from Onipanu Division of Lagos State command beat to stupour a lawyer, 42-year-old Sunday Elimihe, and strip him of his N150,000 in his car pidgin hole.
One of the lawyer’s eyes has been blinded following the hard beating he received from the policemen, who he alleged were drunk as at the time they stopped him in front of the Onipanu Police station.
Elimihe, while narrating the incident to newsmen at the Shomolu General Hospital, said: “On my way from Lekki where I went to check a property with my client, I decided to use the Onipanu police station road by Apata. Immediately I drove into the street close to the station, one Corporal Alonge stopped me and demanded for my vehicle particulars. I gave him; he demanded for Driver’s License, I gave him. When he discovered I did not commit any offence, he asked for my tinted glass permit, which I gave him.
“He told me I was using a forged tinted glass permit. I told him I could not have forged a police document as a lawyer. He became furious and said he was going to arrest me. He jumped into my vehicle and insisted I must give him N1, 000 to bail myself. I said I was not going to give him any money since I have not committed any offence.”
According to the father of three, “he pounced on me and cocked his gun threatening to shoot me if I make a move. Another policewoman who sighted us came and dragged the gun from him. The policeman after being disarmed descended on me and gave me the beating of my life. He pushed me into the cell and another policeman came inside the cell, locked up the cell and beat me for 30 minutes.
“I was humiliated like a common criminal. This is oppression and one of my eyes is partially blind. I have been vomiting blood since yesterday. It was the intervention of a good policeman in the station who warned them not to kill me. I would have been dead by now.”
He urged President Muhamadu Buhari and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to come to the aid of innocent Nigerians, who are daily being brutalized by policemen in the country.
It would be recalled that on Boxing Day last December in Ketu, a drunken policeman, identified as Stephen James, reportedly shot and killed three people, Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle, with their friend simply called Jeje, before turning the gun on himself.
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4 Comments
Oh may these policemen not go scot free…!
Dear Nigerians, if you own a car and drive here safety rule no. 1 is to auto lock your car as soon as you get into your car. That aside i realized the police men of Lekki ,V/I & Ikoyi are very well behaved. And the key to reacting to hooligans in uniform like these is to stop when they jump in front of your car, wind down just a bit and without making eye contact greet them, give them photocopies of documents they requested (hopefully they are up to date) and insist they can not enter your car. If you have to park on the side of the road and go out to bribe them if your papers are not up to date but NEVER EVER let a police, lastma, traffic warder, frsc, etc. enter your car. they will threaten to toll it, they will threaten to beat you up but never let them enter your car. Now if communication degenerates and the toll vehicle finally arrives let them take the car and you can go there the next day to pay your fines and take your car, never ever follow your car to be impounded at the police station NEVER.
so remember make sure your car papers are up to date, auto lock your cars, wind down just a bit when stopped by an official (enough space to pass the photocopied documents to them) and never ever let them enter your car. If you don’t have an a/c or autolock in your car it’s time you go and sell that base stereo system in your car and use the cash to get a functioning autolock and A/C
He was beaten and robbed by policemen who are paid to serve and protect the people. A crude demonstration of one of the many failed systems in Nigeria.
The type of leader you get dictates the type followers in a country.
We will review and take appropriate action.