Lagos police officer protests as court takes four inspectors into pre-trial detention

The Lagos State Police Command on Friday charged four police officers, Inspector Johnson Imeh, Inspector Effiong Edet, Inspector Harrison Ike and Inspector Etederhi Obaseki, in a Yaba Magistrates’ Court for the alleged murder of a resident, Buraimoh Gafar.

The four inspectors were brought before magistrate AO Salawu for two murders.

The four police officers, attached to the headquarters of the Ajah Police Division, were on patrol and visited Amadon Estate.

Suspected outlaws in the community allegedly fled when they saw police as one of them was arrested.

While trying to force the suspect into their van, the mobsters reportedly regrouped to free their colleague.

Two of the defendants allegedly fired shots.

The sister of the deceased, Folashade Ibrahim, and an eyewitness, Adebayo Olatunji, later reported to police that a stray bullet hit Gafar as he emerged from Skymall Shopping Plaza, where he was going to watch a football match.

Police prosecutor Haruna Magaji told the court during summary proceedings for Godwin Oriabure that the police officers committed the crime on December 6, 2022.

Magaji said Imeh and Edet confessed to firing their AK-47 rifles during the incident.

The indictment read in part: “That you, Johnson Imeh, Effiong Edet, Etederhi Obaseki and Harrison Ike, on December 6, 2022, at Happyland Estate, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos State, Lagos Magisterial District, while serving as a member of the Nigerian police on guard duty, have conspired among themselves to commit a crime, namely murder, thereby committing an offense punishable under Article 233 of the Penal Code of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.

Counsel for the second defendant, Samuel Sodipo, pleaded with the court to grant him liberal terms on bail, saying the police officers were in custody for 51 days.

Also, one of the defendants, Ike, told the court that he was acquitted by the police provost for not firing any bullets, but the state detectives refused to let him go.

He claimed that he and Obaseki would be discharged on the morning of the arraignment and had finished packing their things.

He stated that because they were happy, the investigating police officer decided to charge them with murder and conspiracy.

He said: “The DPO has acquitted me and this young man, Obaseki, and the detectives have also acquitted us because we did not shoot. The disciplinary committee of the provost of the police acquitted both of us.

“During these processes orders came to let us go, but Panti (SCID) refused to let us go; they said they would release us the day they attacked these two men.

“This morning they called them out to take them to court and one of them (police officer) came and said we were laughing, we weren’t going anywhere. I just carried my bag but when I went out they said it was my offense for me to come out to go home and so they should implicate me in conspiracy and murder.

The magistrate called the IPO to explain why the two police officers were being charged.

The IPO, SP Christopher Onyeisi, said: “They were taken to the provost of Ikeja and the two defendants, Ime and Edet, were found to have committed the offence, while the other two, Ike and Obaseki, were subject to further investigation.

“While the investigation was going on, we got an order to charge them all, while the file had to be duplicated and sent to the DPP.

“Actually, the police ordered the two to be acquitted, but the DPP said no, that we should charge all four.”

Magaji requested the court to return the defendants.

Magistrate Salawu, after reviewing the file, ordered the four police officers to be held in a detention center for 30 days pending the advice of the DPP.

The case was adjourned until March 2, 2023.