Orukpe Monday, an inspector with the Lagos State Police Command, passed away as a result of the alleged torture he endured at the hands of soldiers who attacked him and his coworkers in the Trade Fair region of Lagos State.
Igbafe Ojo, a different inspector who was allegedly tortured by the same soldiers, was being treated at the military hospital in the Ojo
Insight media gathered that the soldiers were on their way to attend a training programme 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.
Speaking with our News men, a source said some of the soldiers, upon realising that the traffic was caused by policemen trying to pave the way for a truck driver to link the expressway, came down from the vehicle to challenge the policemen.
The source, however, said the situation led to an argument that degenerated into a fight when one of the soldiers allegedly slapped one of the policemen, adding that the soldiers arrested two policemen. In comparison, the other three policemen fled to safety.
The source said, “About 30 soldiers were going to Ojo Military Cantonment for a training programme. They were being conveyed in a green army coaster bus, but as they approached the Trade Fair area, they encountered traffic.
“About five policemen were around the axis standing by the roadside when one truck attempted to enter the Lagos Badagry Expressway. So, the policemen had to stop vehicles on the expressway for the truck to navigate safely into the expressway.
“During that period, it slowed down vehicular movement; the first three vehicles were driven by civilians but the fourth was the bus conveying the 30 soldiers. When the soldiers realised that it was policemen that stopped the vehicles ahead of them, some of the soldiers got down and started challenging the policemen.
One of the soldiers slapped a police officer during the argument, which caused a fight to break out. As a result, the soldiers were able to overwhelm the police officers due to their size. When the soldiers tried to take the gun that one of the policemen was holding, they were stopped and forced to remove the magazine.
Two policemen were beaten and taken to the barracks by the soldiers. The third policeman fired into the air and escaped as they attempted to remove him. The senior police officer was severely beaten and his gun was taken, but the other inspector managed to escape as well.
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 arrived at the barracks to locate the two officers, one of them was already dead, and the other’s body had been bandaged as a result of the soldiers’ torture.
The soldiers refused to release the injured policemen to the senior policemen who arrived to check on their colleagues after seeing them at the military hospital in the barracks. The source stated that the soldiers “refused to release the guns in their possession and claimed that the policemen are not strong enough to leave the hospital.”
when contacted, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police public relations officer, stated that there had been an incident involving soldiers and police on Wednesday and that the command was working closely with the army high command to resolve the matter. However, one of the responding officers is no longer alive.
The 81 Division Nigeria Army spokesperson, Major Olaniyi Osoba, said in a statement on Friday that the army was already in contact with the state police command to resolve the situation.
Given the division’s attitude and zero tolerance for any misconduct, this incident is deeply regrettable.
As a result, a board of inquiry has been established by the division to determine the circumstances of the unfortunate incident. Anyone found to be responsible will be subjected to the full force of the disciplinary provisions at the conclusion of the investigation.
As a result, he said, “the division wishes to express its condolences to the Ojo Police Division and members of the victim’s family.”
