Samson Folarin
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested the policemen who allegedly beat up a former headmistress of Top-Teez Nursery and Primary School, Ifo, Mrs. Ayodeji Orojo.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Iliyasu, told our correspondent on Tuesday that the cops had been arrested and detained.
He noted that the policemen would be sanctioned at the end of police investigation.
PUNCH Metro had reported that a stabiliser belonging to the Ojodu Abiodun Divisional Police Officer had been stolen by some hoodlums and the police found the electrical appliance in the compound of a 10-year-old pupil, identified as David.
Six policemen were reported to have stormed the boy’s school where Orojo served as a head teacher, disrupting academic activities in the process.
Orojo, who queried their action, was allegedly beaten up, as her phone was seized after she allegedly attempted to record the attack.
It was reported that the police later released David after his widowed mother, Elizabeth Emeka, paid N19,000 for bail.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, had said the police did not know the suspect was a 10-year-old pupil, adding that the DPO had apologised to the school’s proprietress and the matter had been resolved.
Orojo, in a follow-up report, however, demanded that the the cops be punished.
She lamented that her seized phone was smashed and her SIM and memory cards damaged by the police to destroy evidence.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Modupe Mujota, had told our correspondent that the state was investigating the case “from the perspective of it being a part of our educational ecosystem.”
But Nigerians, who reacted to the report on PUNCH Online and some social media platforms, said the matter should be thoroughly investigated.
The CP told our correspondent that the matter was already being investigated, adding that the policemen had been arrested.
He said, “The policemen involved have been defaulted. As I speak to you, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, is on the way to the school. Any policeman that misbehaves will be dealt with. I will not condone such a thing.”
He asked to meet the victim, saying justice would be done.
A senior police source, however, confided in our correspondent that the police had been searching for the headmistress since the incident happened.
He explained that the police were handicapped because the matter was not reported by the victim and the state CP was not petitioned.
The President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Michael Alogba-Olukoya, condemned the alleged brutality of the headmistress, asking the police to apologise to the school and the education sector.
He said, “It is barbaric. It is a show of impunity and I want to appreciate the Ogun State Government for showing willingness to investigate the matter. The fact that they lost a stabiliser should not make them to misbehave.
“The NUT wants the matter properly investigated and all the officers involved punished accordingly to serve as a deterrent to others. The police authorities should as well tender apologies to the school and the education sector in general. That is not the way to go about it and unfortunately, this reflects the character of an average policeman in this country today.”
It will be recalled that the victim had said after the assault that she was rejected by the Ijaiye General Hospital where she was taken to for treatment.
She claimed that the hospital demanded a police report before commencing treatment.
The Chief Medical Director of the Ijaiye General Hospital, Ifo, Dr Kayode Oladehinde, had denied that the hospital received Orojo, saying the hospital’s policies frowned on such.
It was learnt on Tuesday that the affected general hospital was in Lagos.
Orojo told our correspondent that the affected hospital was the Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris, in his reaction, said there was no policy in the state that denied medical treatment to anyone.
He asked to speak to the victim, promising to investigate by getting the details of the officials on duty at the time.
“Anybody that has an emergency should not be denied medical care, no matter the situation,” he added.
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