By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Wale Olokode, has issued a query to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Adeeke Police Station, Iwo, CSP Adekunle Ige, for allegedly brutalising a mother of two, Blessing Mba.
Olokode asked the DPO to explain his role in the act and ordered that other policemen allegedly involved in the act to be detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the command.
It was learnt that Mba was beaten on May 31, 2022, by police officers when she went to report at the station that she was searching for her missing 15- year-old boy.
Mba was said to have informed the officers on duty around 1am that her son had not returned home, after he left home on Monday, May 30.
According to reports, on getting to the station, she discovered that some people were been tortured and when she approached them, one of the officers was said to have assaulted her and accused her of trying to drop a sacrifice at the station.
It was gathered that a policeman at the entrance of the station who knew and indentified the woman opened the gate for her when she told him about her son.The police officer told Mba to check him at the counter.
Narrating the incident, Mba said :”Another officer started harassing me. He pushed me to the DPO and alleged that I came to drop sacrifice at the station.
“We will kill you, shoot you and nobody will ask of you.”
She added that the officers descended on her and threatened to kill her while she was pleading for her life until she passed out.
She was taken to hospital around 8am for treatment while her leg and some parts of her body were stitched, Nigerian Tribune reports.
The DPO, Ige, reportedly gave her N2,000 while leaving the hospital. Mba later went to the area command in Iwo to report the DPO.
While waiting for the area commander, some officers told Ige about her mission and he allegedly ordered the officers to take her away before she sees the commander.
It was gathered that Mba was begged not to report the incident because it might damage the DPO’s career and was reportedly given the sum of N15,000. The officers also took her to hospital to treat her leg.
Reacting to the development on Tuesday, Olokode, in a statement signed by the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Mrs Yemisi Opalola, said upon the receipt of the report, the DPO and all the officers concerned were invited to the office of the Commissioner of Police for in-depth investigation.
“The woman involved was invited, the police located her house and when summoned, she requested to enter her house to dress up, the police waited for about an hour after which they didn’t see her come out of the house, they were forced to enter the house to check her but she was nowhere to be found. She was suspected to have escaped from the backyard & immediately switched off her phone since then, even up till now.
“I collected her number and called her severally, her number hasn’t been going through since yesterday till now. I also gave her number to the journalist that wrote the report to help contact and speak to her, perhaps she may trust him better, he tried severally, but to no avail
“We were in the office with the CP till 11pm yesterday night looking for any possible way to locate the woman.
“Notwithstanding, the CP has ordered the policemen involved to be detained at the State CID, while the DPO, CSP Adekunle Ige was told to report to the CP’S office this morning. The DPO has been issued an official query this morning.
“Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to get the woman. I want to state most assuredly that justice will be met on the case as the CP is determined to get to the root of the matter,” the statement read.
