Oyo Amotekun Operatives Inflict Injuries On Suspects, Extort Money From Them – Police

The Oyo State Police Command has alleged that the state security network, also known as Amotekun Corps, usually assaults suspects and extorts money from them.

The state police command on Tuesday advised Amotekun to desist from assaulting suspects.

File photo used to illustrate story.

The police said some of the suspects arrested and brought to the station by Amotekun were in poor health conditions not admissible for detention.

The state Commissioner of Police, Joe Nwachukwu Enwonwu, in a statement issued through the state public relations officer, Olugbenga Fadeyi, said, "A case to buttress the above is an incident reported at Igbo-Ora Police Station involving one Alhaji Umoru Salihu; Amotekun operatives reportedly stormed Alhaji Umoru’s residence. They were said to have been about 30 in number.            

“According to the report, they allegedly ‘shot sporadically into the air, carted away the sum of #350,000 taken from him and took an undisclosed amount of money from his wives before whisking two of his boys away to the nearest police station. They alleged that they were arrested during an armed robbery operation."

The police boss denied the allegation that they were not supporting the activities of the Amotekun Corps in the state as being alleged on social media recently.

He said: "The Nigeria Police Force as an organisation is jurisdiction sensitive and structured in such a way that offences committed in a particular Area of Responsibility (AOR) cannot be treated in another, as this is done for efficiency and accountability sake. The original site of the robbery as gathered by the officers on duty, as at the time of the case transfer and from the news, is Iwo Road area, under the responsibility of Agodi Division.

“Investigation also revealed that no case of armed robbery had been reported at the division or any other in its environs as at or prior to that time. This is something to look into and to do so, the enforcement of jurisdictional policing must be observed.

"The Amotekun operatives had earlier visited Mokola Division, where they were advised to the best of the knowledge of the receiving officers and with the information at their disposal, that the division with the AOR to best handle the case was Iyaganku Division. Upon getting to Iyaganku Division, the officers at the receiving end, after critically analysing the story and taking its origin into consideration, did not reject the suspect but directed that the suspects should be taken to Agodi Division, a directive that was disregarded, which led to the misconception making the rounds.

“The Commissioner of Police wishes to inform the general public that the command is more than ever committed towards partnering with sister agencies and local security outfits towards bringing the level of crime to the barest minimum in the state. In view of the above, the Commissioner of Police wishes to inform the leaders and by extension, men of various security operatives within the state, to desist from highhandedness and treatment of suspects with antipathy. They should stop inflicting serious bodily harm on them which oftentimes results in death.

"It has also got to the attention of the Commissioner of Police that some suspects arrested and brought to the station by other security operatives are usually brought in terrible health/bad conditions, and not admissible for detention, leaving the police with no option but to demand the treatment of such a suspect.

"One of the boys was shot before being brought to the station where he was denied admission into the detention facility for obvious reasons of being medically unfit. He was returned to the Commander of the Amotekun Corps and his team for treatment. He was thereafter taken to the hospital where he died on admission. Investigation is still in progress and is done towards ensuring that justice deserved is served.

"The CP wishes to unequivocally state that henceforth suspects in bad health conditions or cases without complainants or witnesses will not be attended to.”

Police News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

from Latest News https://ift.tt/2XyKb7J
via IFTTT