CHSR Condemns Alleged Police Unlawful Detention, Abuse of Power over Suraju Asimiyu
…Urges IGP to Get Justice for Victim
The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) has strongly condemned the rising cases of rights violations, unprofessional conducts, unlawful detention, abuse of power, and torture allegedly perpetrated by police officers.
At a press conference on Sunday in Lagos, the CHSR President, Comrade Alex Omotehinse called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to take immediate action in curbing unlawful actions and inactions that tarnish the reputation of the Force.
According to the rights group, one particular case that has caught its attention was the unlawful incarceration for 80 days, violation of rights and inhuman treatment suffered by Mr. Suraju Asimiyu, also known as Baba Ibeji, a widower based in Ogun State who is currently recovering at an undisclosed hospital following his ordeals with the police in Abuja.
Comrade Omotehinse expressed deep concern over the alleged abuse of Asimiyu’s rights by police officers acting under the influence of certain social media influencers, especially Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi), calling for thorough investigation.
Furthermore, the CHSR demanded that the IGP create measures to prevent the abuse of office by police officers who are influenced by individuals against their perceived enemies.
The CHSR also presented a list of other demands to the Inspector General of Police including to provide transparency on the process, method, and duration of serving a suspect within the state, outside the state, and outside the country with a police invitation letter before declaring the suspect wanted.
Others include to address and enlighten the public on the process and criteria for declaring someone wanted by the Police Force through the office of FPPRO.
The group also charged the IGP to revoke the “Wanted” order on Dorcas Adeyinka, a diaspora based good samaritan who is being hunted, to avail her the opportunity to honour the police invite without harassment or embarrassment.
The CHSR emphasized that as a human rights group, they have received numerous complaints from Nigerians regarding harassment, intimidation, exploitation, favoritism, and biasness from officers of the Nigeria Police Force. It also highlighted situations where influential individuals manipulate the system to avert justice and inflict suffering on the less privileged.
The group urged the Inspector General of Police to take firm and resolute action to address these issues and restore public trust in the Nigeria Police Force or it would be forced to explore the full extent of the law on the matter.
Narrating the details, the group revealed, ”
One Mr. Asimiyu Suraju a widower and father of twins cried to our office to register a complaint against a cyber space influencer Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) using her relationship and connection with a senior Police officer to get him arrested, detained unlawfully.
According to Mr. Asimiyu Suraju (Baba Ibeji), he got arrested on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at his resident in Ifo Local government area of Ogun State by men of Nigeria police force from Ifo Police Division in Ogun State, his arrest was in connection with alleged Murder of his wife Mrs. Foluso Asimiyu who died on Friday, 19th April, 2024 after a brief illness at Ota General Hospital, Ogun State.
After spending Thirteen days (13) at Ifo Police division without investigation instead of taken him to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Eleweiran Abeokuta, he was transferred to Police Force Headquarter Louis Edet House Abuja where he was detained for over 65 days at Maitama Police Division Abuja without access to his families nor trial.
Mr. Asimiyu Suraju states that him and his wife late Mrs. Foluso Asimiyu and their twins got enmeshed with cyber space influencers when one Madam Jokotade help the family to seek for funds based on the family financial challenges and she raised a lump sum of five hundred thousand naira which she intended to use to help in ameliorating their challenges that to the family dismay few days later, Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) knocked on their door and told them that the earlier cyber influencer (Madam Jokotade) have short changed and cheated them on funds raised on behalf of the family but she has come to put smile and succor to the family financial status not knowing to the family that she has comes to inflict more hardship, pains and sufferings to their HOUSEHOLD.
The Family posited that Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) has been pawn in their flesh that firstly, before her wife death she got the husband arrested and detained more than four times in deferent police detention facilities through trump-up charges to avail her the opportunity to be in custody of his wife and the twins which she achieved based on her connections to top police officers.
The family said Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) always capitalized on the family vulnerability to intimidate and harassed them Police without recourse to them or benefit returns, that Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami has once took the wife Late Folusho Ashimiyu (iya Ibeji) to Hospital for a family planning injection without the Husband Baba Ibeji consent because by then Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) has detained the husband at SCID Panti on a frivolous allegation of Baba Ibeji sleeping and impregnating a 14 years old minor Iya aibeji.
That Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) took late Folusho Ashimiyu (Iya ibeji and their Twins to her personal resident in Ikorodu area of Lagos State where they lived for good three months without informing the family or husband while the Family was searching for their where-about not until well-wishers who knew Iya Ibeji saw her, she then narrated her ordeal and collected her husband (baba Ibeji) phone number to come and rescue them from her Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi.
According to the husband, her late wife gave her a SAVE MY SOUL call which he promptly acted upon to rescue the life of his family without waiting for any back-up and unfortunately for him Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) mobilized OPC members to beat him to stupor that he came to her resident to kidnap the twins but luck smiles on him when one of the OPC leader later recognized him as Suraju Baba Ibeji after merciless beating, torture and molestation.
After much ado, the family through Mr. Taofeek Asimiyu (elder brother to Baba Ibeji) called on Dorcas Adeyinka Foundation live program for assistance to ameliorate the pains and sufferings of his younger brother Mr. Suraju Asimiyu family who is then passing through psychological trauma based on the torture inflicted on him by Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami.
That Chief Dorcas Adeyinka intervened by getting the family a befitting mini flat apartment fully furnished and equipped with a monthly allowance for feeding. Mr. Taofeek Asimiyu said it became surprising to the family when they heard that Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka whom they claimed the family have never met before up till this moment alongside their brother baba Ibeji was alleged as the Murderer of late Mrs. Foluso Asimiyu (Iya Ibeji)
In seeking justice for the Eleven (11) weeks unlawful detention and incarceration of Baba Ibeji, the elder brother Mr. Taofeek Asimiyu approached an Abuja High court through their lawyer Barr. Pelumi Olajengbesi to file a case of Abuse Of fundamental Human Rights on behalf of Mr. Asimiyu Suraju (baba Ibeji) and was granted bail before the Nigeria Police can release him.
CHIEF MRS. DORCAS ADEYINKA
Of particular note is the case of Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka out of several others we received and investigated a SAVE OUR SOUL complaint letter from Dorcas Adeyinka Empowerment Foundation Following careful review of the petition and our subsequent findings, we unraveled orchestrated ploy to trample on the rights to means of freedom with regards to false murder allegations, illegal displaying of nude images, conspiracy to indict, and the mishandling of the Nigeria Police Force in declaring her WANTED without due process and recourse to the less privileged and suffering Nigerian masses which her foundation are on daily basis taking-off the street to boost economy growth of the country.
Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka, a Nigerian-born British citizen, the chief executive officer of Dorcas Adeyinka Empowerment Foundation, a foundation of hope for thousands of Nigeria citizens. Through her foundation, she has championed various causes from educational support to business promotion, medical assistance, and palliative relief both domestically and internationally, while her unwavering dedication and selflessness have earned her widespread admiration and respect which has thrown her-up as a symbol of hope to many household due to the present economy hardship facing us as a nation.
Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka believed that despite her marvelous contribution in creating wealth opportunity and human capacity building, she found herself enmeshed in a web of harassment and false accusations orchestrated by some individuals with malicious intent just because the individual knows or have a relationship with a top rank officer in the Nigeria police force who uses his influence and position to declared her WANTED for an offence she never committed. The cyber influencers’ bullies and frivolous murder allegation as cast a dark shadow over her reputation threatening to tarnish her legacy built on principles of integrity and compassion. The unfounded nature of these accusations underscores the urgent needs of Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun for a thorough investigation into the motives behind such attack
Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka was invited by Nigeria Police force to Abuja headquarters for investigation which she appeared in person and agreed by all parties that further engagement will be communicating to them by the police but in shocking turn of events, the Nigeria Police Force declared her WANTED without proper notification or due process as enshrined in the Police acts, code of conduct and ethics not only violated her rights but also perpetuated the cycle of injustice.
Chief Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka believed that the cyber gladiator’s reprehensive act of illegally displaying her image on social media represents a new low in online harassment and it’s a deliberate intent to defame and degrade her person which highlight dangers of weaponing social media platforms for personal vendettas.
Moreover, sometimes in December 2023, the so called complainants have instituted an action against Mrs. Dorcas Adeyinka and two others at Elere Police Division Agege in which the trio were later Arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court of Lagos State in the Yaba Magisterial District holding at court No.1 before his Honour Adeola Olatubosun CM (ADMIN) and the duplicated copy of the case file was sent to office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice Alausa for advice Commissioner of Police vs Dorcas Adeyinka, Adekoya Folake and Sikiru Adekola Ayinde with charge No. A/01/24.
On Monday 18th day of March 2024 the court struck out the case base on DPP advice dully signed by Dr. Babajide Martins and state’s counsel informed the court that they have issued legal advice and we quote “there is before the court legal advice dated 15th of March 2024 Ref. No. LJP/MISC/2024/106/9, it is signed by Dr. Babajide Martins (DPP) it states that the prosecution cannot base its case on speculative evidence or conjecture, hence the 3 self/suspects will not be prosecuted and they hereby discharged. Case struck out” and just because the complainants were not satisfy with outcome of the court case they rush to the Police Force headquarters Abuja because they believed their friends or family can assist them in nailing the innocent woman in other for them to achieve their aim.
Since the police has publicizes the WANTED of Madam Dorcas Adeyinka for an offence she claimed not to have committed, her opponents has continued bullying her on each of their Facebook shows threatened fire and brimstone that that if she is up to the task she should go to Force Headquarters Abuja and see if she won’t go to jail.
On Friday 14th day of June 2024, the CHSR team visited the Police Force Headquarters Abuja to meet with the IGP Monitoring team that is investigating the case and it was disclose and confirm to us that the case was between Madam Dorcas Adeyinka, Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami and others.
That sometimes in March this year Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami and other ladies visited the Force Headquarters to complaint against Madam Dorcas Adeyinka for cyber related issues, and when discovered that they are all from Lagos the office directed the Lagos office to investigate the case, that while the Lagos office was on the case, there were several complaints of compromise and partisanship against the police by the so-called complainants, reasons why they ask the case file to be transferred back to Abuja.
That all the parties involved were invited and are present at Abuja on the appointment date and after interrogation, the office discovered that they are all friends before the crises and discovered it’s a minor issue and that the office proposed to both parties to allow the office to resolve the matter for them in the interest of peaceful co-existence, but they all turned down the suggestion whereby both parties came up with new and counter accusation against each other, and base on that they write their report and submitted to the constituted authority it was not their office that declare her wanted.
After CHSR investigation and interaction with the IGP monitoring team and sequel to outcome of the meeting, we writes a letter to the executive Governor of Lagos State and Speaker of the Lagos State Assembly dated 26th June, 2024 to intervene in flagging down the WANTED order as all parties involved are Lagos residents and societal influencers operating within the State.
ON WANTED PERSON
Anybody been declared wanted by the police or any other security agency, such person is subjected to serious danger as he or she cannot walk freely on the street as such a person integrity and personality is already dented as a criminal, it means he or she can be arrested by anybody or be shot by any security personnel, because such a person must have committed a serious crime against the state.”
