Adebisi Onanuga
A Lagos lawyer, Nkenchor Endurance, has petitioned the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Zubairu Muazu, over the continued detention of his client, Mr. Ehis Job, by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS), Ikeja.
He urged CP Muazu to prevail on O/C SARs Ikeja, one Supol Opis and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) Mr. Shedrack, all of SARS Ikeja, to charge his clients to court or release him on bail.
In the September 30 petition, Endurance averred that his client, Job was arrested in August on his way to church at Ajegunle by officers from Ajeromi Police Station but was transferred two days later to the SARS, Ikeja, Lagos.
Copies of the petition were sent to the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights(CDHR), Human Rights Nigeria, UN Committee on Human and Peoples Rights, American Embassy, the Inspector- General of Police and the Police Public Relations Officer.
He alleged that his client was undergoing severe torture at SARS while being denied access to his counsel and family members.
“He is not allowed access to his relations and when his legal practitioners went to see him, they were not allowed to see him but threatened with violence. We have it on good authority that our client has no complainant”, he said.
Endurance said his client is alleged to belong to a cult, adding that even if the allegations were true, Section 36(5) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) states that “every person who is charged (alleged) with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until he is proven guilty”.
According to him, “detaining our client for more than one month without been released on bail or charged to court is derogation of section 35(1) of the same 1999 constitution of Nigeria which states that every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty.
“Our take is that SARS cannot be the prosecutor, the defence and at the same time the court in one case, it is against the tenets of natural justice,” he said.
Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Balana ElKanha, did not pick his phone when called to react to the petition. Neither did he respond to enquiry made to him on Whatsapp.
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