Idowu Adebomi
An Inspector serving with the Lagos State Police Command, Orukpe Monday, has died from the torture he allegedly received from soldiers who attacked him and his colleagues in the Trade Fair area of Lagos State.
Another Inspector, Igbafe Ojo, also got beaten by the same soldiers, and was hospitalized at the military hospital in the Ojo Military Cantonment, where doctors were said to be battling to save his life.
Report said the soldiers were on their way to attend a training program at the Ojo Military Cantonment on Wednesday when the bus conveying them to the destination encountered mild traffic around the Trade Fair area of the Lagos Badagry Expressway.
The soldiers, upon realizing that the traffic was caused by policemen trying to pave way for a truck driver to link the expressway, came down from the vehicle to assault the policemen.
According to an eye witness, the situation led to an argument that degenerated into a fight when one of the soldiers allegedly slapped one of the policemen arrested two policemen.
The soldiers then physically assaulted the policemen and later took two of the officers into custody while others fled for their lives. The soldiers, numbering about 30 overpowered the policemen and after beating they took two of the policemen to their barracks.
The other officers escaped but the senior policeman was not that lucky as he was seriously brutalized his gun taken. The source said the soldiers allegedly tortured the two policemen they took to their barracks, adding that one of them died because of the injuries he sustained during the torture.
“By the time the police got to the barracks to ask for the two policemen, they met one of the policeman unconscious while the body of the other policeman had been bandaged due to the torture from the soldiers.
“The soldiers refused to release the policemen to the senior policemen who came to ask after their colleagues. The soldiers said the policemen are not strong enough to leave the hospital and also refused to release the guns in their possession,” the source said.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said, “There was an issue between soldiers and police on Wednesday, and the command is working closely with the army high command to resolve the issues but confirmed one of the policemen involved in the incident died.
In a statement issued on Friday, the spokesperson, 81 Division Nigeria Army, Major Olaniyi Osoba, said the army was already in touch with the state police command to resolve the matter.
“This incident is highly regrettable given the Division’s disposition and zero tolerance for any misconduct. Accordingly, the Division has instituted a Board of Inquiry to unravel the circumstance surrounding the unfortunate incident. At the end of the investigation, anyone found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of the disciplinary provisions.
“Consequently, the Division wishes to commiserate with the Ojo Police Division and members of the family of the victim,” he said.