ONE DIED AS ABUSE OF POLICE POWERS CONTINUE IN OGUN COMMUNITY, RIGHTS GROUP ALLEGES

The men of Nigeria police Force (NPF) in collaboration with the communitythugs have been alleged to have invaded the ancient town of Ihunbo in Ipokialocal government area of Ogun State penultimate Friday night with the aimof attacking all the perceived enemies of one Mr. Joseph Olamide Adesiyanwith Phone number:-08034829144 and the alleged perceived enemiescomprise of over 90 percent of the youths of the community.It was gathered that during the onslaught which began on the mid-night ofFriday 22nd of May,2020, the alleged thugs under the protection ofPolicemen coordinated by one Abiodun Kolawole Akanni, an AssistantSuperintendent ofPolice(ASP) with phone number:-07066837846, working directly with the StateCommissioner of Police,Kenneth Ebrimson with Phone number-08033311119The alleged thugs led by a known smuggler, bunkerer and landgrabber,one Titus Babajide,alias Oppressor with Phonenumber:-07041557777 and they achieved their nefarious intention ofensuring that all the alleged perceived youths were chased out of theancient town to the bush in the heart of the night, which they wereyet to return to the town till the time of writing this report.It added that several people were injured and property were destroyedduring the dastardly attacked on the innocent indigenes of the communityand it was said that the current onslaught was against those who foiledtheir recent attempt to organize “Oro traditional festival” against thedirective of the government that banned all the festivities and illegalgatherings across the State nay country as a result of the outbreak of theglobal Pandemic Coronavirus code named COVID-19.Earlier, Penultimate Tuesday,a young man identified as Ipeba was claimed tohave drown and died inside the Ojumo river in the Community and this leadto the invasion of the community by the thugs, thinking that the youths inthe town would not allow them to do their acclaimed rituals for the deceased.But one Monsuru Akanbi who was not allowed earlier to do illegal “Orofestival”, with the support of Mr. Joseph Olamide Adesiyan,Mr. SaliuAkanbi(Custom Officer) with phone number:-08033519940, SamuelAkinola:-08033664120 and Bamidele Ogunjobi(Ajana Oro):-08035254024,insisted that the family of deceased would not be allowed to carry theircorpse for proper burial until they collected sum of N250,000 and they madethe deceased family to pay sum of N200,000 before they could be allowed tocarry their corpse.The other identified thugs invaded the ancient town along “Oppressor” were;Musiliu Ogundare:-08060798251, Amuda Lemon,Wale Ajala, Monsuru Akanbi(arrested now), Sunday Of Ogboro, Julius Dada,Adex Otta,Shola Idiroko,AmosBabao and Sijuade Adeyemi.Others were;Tunde Adeyemi,Abel Akinola, Femi Tanker Driver,KilaniOgunbiyi,Kiki Ezekiel,Supperman Akinbade,Gani Benin Republic,Wale Ajaobaand Yisa Ogunbiyi.Commenting on the development on Monday, the Executive Chairman,Centre for HumanRights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, calledon the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Muhammed Adamu, to orderfor immediate investigation into the matter in respect of the involvementof the men of the Force in the dastard act.Sulaiman who doubles as Convener, Save Lagos Group (SLG), also urged thePolice authority to ensure immediate arrest of all the thugs earlierlisted that invaded the ancient community of Ihunbo.Describing the actions of the thugs and the Policemen that gave them(thugs)cover during the onslaught against the innocent citizens of the communityas an affront to the fundamental human rights as stipulated in the amended1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .Comrade Sulaiman therefore, called on the Police authority in the State torelease those illegally arrested on the directive of the thugs on Fridaymidnight and they were; Chief Rasaq Rahamon:-08135211233,Mr. TobiDosunmu:-08142106250, Sunday Onifade Ademola, Daniel Ayelabola, IbrahimAina,Mr. Adam Bello and Ibrahim Mecco,adding that the aforementionedpersons have been transferred to the Area Commander office at Ilaro.