Saturday PUNCH had last week and a fortnight ago reported how 34-year-old Joseph allegedly stole a tricycle and was detained at the Ojodu Police Division, Lagos, after which operatives of SARS came for the suspect and took him to their headquarters in Ikeja.
But few weeks after that, SARS had denied he was ever in their custody. The police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, had made a finding at the SARS headquarters and told our correspondent that the squad said it had no record of his ever being detained there.
On Wednesday, Bajulaye, who said the police in Lagos were being economical with the truth, had written a petition to the country’s police chief, urging him to help locate his son.
She said in the petition, “My son confessed to stealing the tricycle and stated that he used the proceeds to rent an apartment through an estate agent, Mr. Oluwalopese of 118, Isuti Road, Odo, Igando, Lagos.
“The estate agent confirmed that men from SARS brought my son to his office in September and he was made to refund the sum of N160,000 my son paid for the apartment. He said he made the refund at SARS office.”
She explained that she was shocked that SARS now said he was never in their custody, even though the investigating police officer at Ojodu had informed our correspondent that the station kept a duplicate of the transfer file showing clearly that SARS took custody of him.
The Lagos State Public Advice Centre, Office of Public Defender and National Human Rights Commission were copied in the petition.
After no concrete explanation had been offered by the Lagos State Police Command, as to where Joseph is more than a week after Saturday PUNCH’s first story, the Force Public Relations Officer in Abuja, Mr. Frank Mba, was contacted. He wondered why no complaint had been lodged at the police headquarters in Lagos.
But after being informed that the police in Lagos had given no explanation, he promised to look into the matter.
“We will try and find out about the issue and see if we can get anything out of it,” he had said.
But on Wednesday, which was the following day, Mba did not pick calls when our correspondent attempted to contact him on the issue. On Thursday again, he did not pick calls.
Our correspondent got in touch with Braide thereafter, to see if any information could come out from her end.
But she promised to call back. When our correspondent got in touch with her the following day, she said she had made no headway in her quest to get a response from the Ojodu Police Division, which had claimed last week that it had a copy of the transfer file from SARS.
In our report last week, the IPO at Ojodu, a policewoman, had confirmed that Joseph was indeed taken away by SARS. This, our correspondent communicated to Braide who then promised to “send a signal” to Ojodu to request for the file.
But on Thursday, she said on the phone, “I have not got any reply from Ojodu because they said they don’t know who Eme (the IPO) is.”
When our correspondent told her that he had the IPO’s telephone number, she requested that it should be sent to her.
“I have called the number many times now and she’s disconnecting it. She is not picking up,” she said, after the number was sent to her.
Attempts were made to also contact the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, but none of his two phone numbers was going through as at Wednesday and Thursday.
However, a non-governmental organisation, Society for Love and Social Justice said there was a need for the IG to look into Bajulaye’s case, adding that it would stand by the widow to ensure she gets the answer she desperately seeks.
SLSJ said in a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, “We are disturbed by the news of the disappearance of Joseph from the custody of SARS.”
The statement signed by SLSJ President, Dr. Adeolu Olusodo, states in part, “The disappearance of Joseph portrays the Nigerian Police as irresponsible and very carefree about the lives of Nigerians. We are fearful that the boy may have been killed by the men of SARS based on past allegations of extra-judicial killings against the police by local and international organisations.
“We therefore, call on the Inspector General of Police to look into this case of disappearance of a suspect from police custody and determine the whereabouts of the young man.
“We also call on Nigerians to add their voice to this call by sending a petition to the IG through all his contact points.”
The NGO said the police should have committed the era of holding suspects indefinitely in custody to the past.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the Office of the Public Defender in Lagos had assigned a lawyer to represent Bajulaye as part of efforts to seek answers to the indigent widow’s question.
A police source contacted by our correspondent to ascertain the state of Joseph said operatives were keeping a tight lid on information regarding the young man, conscious that a slip could leak to the press.
“But they said the mother came too late, that’s all I can tell you for now,” the source said.
| Posted: at | |
bitterpenis
dareper
sheikt
aso4life1
emekaeneh
winace
DRraze
IDOKOO
italianjob
kingoe
mary11
ajanni
ObyWBabaK
zoe61
Ricardoprinz
cruzing
osamabinladin
TRENDING GISTS 
Suspects Arrested Over Murder of 46yrs Old British-Nigerian Man, Okechukwu Iweha in London
How Police Inspector Aliyu Taofeek Sent Patrick Chinemerem to His Early Grave in Lagos
FCCPC Raids Supermarkets in Port Harcourt, Seizes Underweight And Re-bagged Rice
“Man Wearing Wig” - Blessing CEO Causes Commotion Online With Her Recent Dance Video
Popular Ghanaian Media Personality, Serwaa Amihere Finally Reacts To Her Leaked S3x Tape