By Bayo Akinlade Esq
Between 11pm on Thursday 8th August and 6am Friday 9th of August 2024, DSN was informed in detail of a raid conducted by the Nigerian Police in Lagos State where some citizens going about their lawful business were arrested and detained but subsequently some released if they could pay the amount demanded by the police.
A victim of the raid was in touch with her lawyer via WhatsApp unknown to the police were she informed her lawyer of how her and her fiance were arrested at around 11pm at a bus stop trying to get a bus. She noted that buses were scarce at the time but instead of the police to protect them, they were arrested by policemen (not in uniform) and taken to ketu police station and processed like common criminals.
She noted that the police arrested many others from different places, dropped them at the said police station where other policemen processed them, interrogated them, put them in the cells and demanded money from them before they were allowed to go.
DSN had previously looked into this issue of Police raids and was informally told that the Commissioner of Police himself gave the order that citizens be rounded up from a particular time of the night and detained.
We have informally approached the Lagos State Ministry of Justice on this issue as well and hoped that the Police would be reminded that this is not a police State
The Judiciary should be alert in this regard because those who can’t pay the police to be released will certainly be taking to court on trumped up charges
The police are supposed to assist citizens who may be stranded on their way home or on their way to any other location NOT to arrest them and extort money from them!
Citizens have their freedom of movement guaranteed and all the police needs to do is prevent crime which doesn’t include arresting citizens who haven’t committed any crime or who are just moving peacefully on the roads.
We call on the police chief in Lagos to review his strategy of crime prevention in Lagos State and respect the constitutional guaranteed rights of its citizens.
We are free to move around at any time and hour of the day and night without any restrictions whatsoever.
We also demand an end to police extortion, bribes and harassment .. #EndSars is still very fresh in our minds and it will be unfortunate if the police sparks another unrest only for government to turn around and blame the citizens.
Bayo Akinlade Esq
DSN
