A commercial bus driver, Abdullateef Anigbajumo, has accused a policeman of hitting his car and beating him up at Dopemu Underbridge on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway on May 14.
Anigbajumo told The Nation that he spent about N15,000 to treat himself after the incident. The policeman, he claimed, took his Volkswagen bus to Afonka Divisional Police Station in Shasha, Egbeda, thereby, dening access to his means of livelihood since then.
Anigbajumo said he made about N10,000 daily. He is demanding payment of the money he has lost since May 14 till date as well as the money he spent on treatment.
Anigbajumo said: “It was around 8:30am on May 14, I was driving my Danfo Volkswagen bus from Sango/Toll gate and heading to Oshodi. At Dopemu Underbridge, there was traffic gridlock, a Toyota Camry car was coming from Egbeda to join the express road; I just heard a loud sound that one vehicle had hit my bus at the passenger’s side. The next thing I knew was that one man came out the Camry car and started beating me. I initially did not know he was a policeman because he was wearing mufti. He slapped me and gave me many punches. I tried to find my way to come out of the bus to know what has happened to his car.
“His car was not damaged; I told him I was on my lane going straight but he was the one that came to hit my car and that he was at fault. He started punching me again; he used the walkie talkie in his hand to hit my head, nose and teeth. My nose started bleeding and one of my teeth was shaking (the teeth is still shaking up till now). He said he was going to kill me and that I would go to jail.”
He said his passengers confronted the policeman over the matter.
“He then picked his phone and started making calls. When my bleeding was getting too much, people told me to leave the scene for treatment. When I got back to the scene hours later, I was told the policeman with other policemen had towed my car to Afonka Police Station; I was with the key,” he said.
Anigbajumo said he went to the station the next day with a military personnel. There, he learnt that the policeman accused him in his statement of stealing his phone and money.
“The Investigating Police Officer, an inspector, told us that the policeman knows a lot of people and that he told her not to give out his number or any details about him. But while she was speaking with him over the phone, I heard the policeman saying that he wants me to go to jail. The next day, two of my witnesses also went to the station to write statements and I reported the case to a human rights organisation.
“After 10 days, that Inspector called me. I told her I was not around because I was still treating the injuries I sustained after the assault. She later told me that the policeman said we should end the case because of Ramadan, that he does not want to be in trouble with anyone and that I should come and carry my bus but a human rights group, the Movement for Islamic Right and Justice (MIRAJ), said the case cannot be swept over like that.
“I have not been able to feed my family; there are times we have nothing to eat at home. I want justice. The Police Commissioner, Imohimi Edgal should ensure justice is done. I make money with that bus every day and it had been held down for days. He should pay the amount I should have made daily till now. I make at least 10,000 per day. He should also pay for the N15000 I spent treating myself,” he said.
MIRAJ has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Police Service Commission and Edgal over the case.
In the petition, MIRAJ President Adeniyi Adams said: “We call for justice on the issue of the unidentified Superintendent of Police, who engaged himself and exercise an act of lawlessness, public assault, cheating, brutality, intimidating, abuse of office and threat to life against the commercial bus driver.”
Adeyeye Adeleke and Aliu Kolade, who were in the bus when the incident occurred, deplored the officer’s inhuman treatment on Anigbajumo.
Adeleke said: “The policeman just came down from his car and started beating Anigbajumo; he punched him, slapped him and also banged the walkie talkie gadget on his face. We told him that he was at fault and his car was not damaged but it all fell on deaf hears. One Alhaji also begged him and told him that he should calm down because we a all Muslims.
“The policeman was just shouting that, ‘I am a three star officer’, ‘I am a DCP’, ‘I have never been embarrassed like this before’. He also said he knows a lot of people. He said he would send Anigbajumo to jail and that he would kill him.’ When Anigbajumo was bleeding too much, we found a way for him to leave the scene and go treat himself.”
Kolade said they were surprised at the officer’s action.
“The policeman hit the bus and started beating the driver. When the driver tried to explain to him that it was not his fault, another round of beating started. He just suffered Anigbajumo because nothing happened to his car. He was shouting that he would not agree and that he would take Anigbajumo to court and that he would kill him,” he said.
