A victim of an alleged assault, Ahmed Owoniyi has accused a policeman, Ayo Bamidele of shielding his attacker from prosecution.
Owoniyi, a businessman and freight forwarder was allegedly attacked and injured by one Mudashiru Gbenle on two occasions at Idumota, Lagos Island, during which he lost two handsets.
According to him, the incidents were reported to Ebute Ero Division, Lagos Island, leading to the arrest of the suspect, but the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, Ayo Bamidele allegedly demanded money before he can file the matter in court.
He said his failure to provide the money has led the police to abandon the case while his assailant is walking free in the society.
Recalling the incidents in his petition to the Zone 2 Police headquarters Lagos, on July 4,2018, Owoniyi said:’’ I reported a case of assault, occasional harm and stealing against a group of boys that attacked me at Idumota, Lagos Island, to Ebute Ero Police Station on 26th of May 2018. The attack was masterminded and led by one Mudashiru Gbele. During the attack, my handsets, Techno N9 Plus and Samsun L6 Plus were taken from me. My statement was taken and the name of the IPO is Ayo.
He said the suspect was emboldened to subject him to another attack , after the police failed to arraign him in court.
‘’On the 5th day of June 2018, at about 10.30 pm, again, the same attack took place at the same place which was led by the same person, Mudashiru Gbenle. I was injured, and my Nokia phone was forcibly taken from me.
‘’While this was going on, my wife held on to Mudashiru Gbenle before the arrival of the police and he was subsequently taken to Ebute Ero Police Station. Mudashiru Gbenle was arrested and my Nokia phone recovered from him. Another statement was taken from me on June 6, 2018, while my photograph showing my injury ( during the attack) is also with the police.
He added: ‘’To my surprise, on the 7th of June, 2018, at the Ebute Ero Police Station, the IPO named Ayo Bamidele requested from me the sum of N20,000, being the amount needed to take the matter to court.
‘’ Due to my inability to pay the money, up till now, nothing is being done about the matter simply because I have not paid the amount demanded. On June 9, 2018, the IPO, Ayo Bamidele saw my wife and informed her that I should do what he told me to do quickly before it is too late.’’
Responding, Bamidele denied demanding bribe from Owoniyi. He said Owoniyi abandoned his case after he advised him to prosecute the suspect.
‘’I know Owoniyi very well but I am not the IPO handling the matter. He had complained to me that the suspect assaulted him and I urged him to make a formal report at our station, which he did. The suspect was arrested and interrogated during which he claimed Owoniyi collected money from him to do visa, but failed to do the job.
‘’Gbenle’s statements were inconsistent when we took him to the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), and the DCO rebuked him for not being sincere in his response. It was against this backdrop that I advised Owoniyi to come to the station for his consent to take the matter to court.
‘’Since then, he has refused to come to our station until the suspect connived with a self-acclaimed doctor and wrote a petition against me at Lion Building Area Command. I was falsely accused of detaining the suspect for three days, which is not true. I have since gone to Lion Building to clear my name, while the matter has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Lagos. I did not demand any bribe from him, instead he is the one owing me a sum of N100,000 being money I paid him to help me secure visa to Europe, which he has not done to date and has refused to refund the money.’’
In a telephone conversation with The Nation, Gbenle, who did not deny carrying out the assault said Owoniyi had defrauded him of unspecified amount under the pretext of procuring visas to Italy and China.
Gbenle, however refused to specify the amount involved before cutting the conversation saying: ‘’Please, I cannot talk more on this matter because I am currently shopping in a market.’’
Contacted, the spokesman of Lagos Police Command, Ms. Dolapo Badmus did not pick her call, while she did not also respond to a text message sent to her mobile phone number.