By Bayo Akinlade

” Like he [the IPO]said they were using him to arrest others because he registered a stolen vehicles, 9 of them and 3 were recovered… “….Suspect’s wife

On Monday 28th of March 2022, 3 suspects were brought to the Area N Command at Ijede and dumped in the police cell by men of the Special Tactical Squad from Abuja, till now, (3rd of April) these suspects are still there without trial, without warrants or any lawful instrument of detention.

These suspects were first arrested over a month ago and they are still in police detention but on whose authority?

Let’s ask a few questions here

1. Can the police detain anyone for more than 24 to 48 hours?

2. Can the police declare someone a criminal?

3. Can the police deny a suspect access to his family and lawyers

4. Can police just pick you up and throw you into a cell without any lawful instrument?

Let us look at what is the definition of Kidnap:

kidnap/ˈkɪdnap/abduct (someone) and hold them captive, typically to obtain a ransom,

When does an arrest turn into kidnapping? In this case, I am of the opinion that after 48 hours of the arrests, the police had turned into kidnappers especially as they are collecting money from the suspects to travel round the country with these suspects looking for more suspects. Who is feeding these suspects, who is paying for their travel etc?

When our police with the knowledge of the Commissioner of Police and very senior police officers start breaching the constitution and having their own laws and using those laws to maltreat citizens then we have a failed state. We are in big trouble and grave danger

Policemen are on the roads in broad daylight extorting monies and no one can arrest them yet they have the audacity to say a suspect is a criminal? When the police collect money from both complainant and suspect? Collect money for bail? Rape some suspects in their custody and dehumanize others, it is not a crime in their own books but they have such a disfunctional mind to call those who they didn’t catch in the act; criminals?

One would have expected any serious and KNOWLEDGEABLE high ranking policeman to have instructed that these suspects at Ijede were to be immediately charged to court for an offence but 4 days after this matter was reported, these suspects are still in police detention.

What are the police doing with suspects for so long? Why don’t they conclude their investigations before making an arrest? Who trains them, which laws are they reading if they are reading at all….?

Are we so helpless in this country that a few men in police uniforms can take our loved ones away, whisk them up in the middle of the night on a flimsy allegation, deny them access to their families etc and throw them in a police cell in another jurisdiction?

Are our Attorneys General that powerless? Are our courts that helpless that they cannot curb the excesses of a bunch of illiterate misfits in uniform?

I shudder at the thought that the agency saddled with the job of protecting my life and property is the very agency that can take it all away at a moment’s notice.

Is Police my friend? I doubt it very much…

The Area Commanders, Commissioners of Police, Asst Inspector Generals of Police and the IG all have something to answer to,, but who will make them answerable to the constitution which they made an oath to uphold?

What is the government going to do about this?

CRIMINALS IN UNIFORM