The Lagos State police command has described as untrue the claim that some police officers assaulted some residents during a raid in Ijaiye Ojokoro Division of the state on August 11, 2021.
The spokesperson of the command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, disclosed this while reacting to a viral video alleging that some policemen from the Ojokoro Division while carrying out a raid on a black spot in the area, assaulted a young man as a result of which he started bleeding from the nose.
Ajisebutu said that police officers from Ijaiye-Ojokoro division and not Agbado Ijaiye, acted on a credible intelligence of criminals selling drugs in the area.
He said the men however did not beat anybody and did not collect money or any valuable from anyone during the action.
Those found with cannabis have been handed over to the NDLEA, while those without incriminating substances have been released.
The statement reads:
“ALLEGATION OF ASSAULT AGAINST POLICEMEN DURING RAID, FALSE
The attention of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, psc, FCIA, has been drawn to a viral video currently trending on social media alleging that some policemen from Ojokoro Division while carrying out raid on black spot in the area at about 2200hrs. of 11/8/2021 assaulted a young man as a result of which he started bleeding from the nose
After watching the video, the CP, concerned about the protection of the fundamental human rights of the citizens and exhibition of professionalism by his police officers, directed an enquiry into the allegation in order to ascertain its veracity or falsity.
After the fact-finding, it was revealed that Ijaiye-Ojokoro Division carried out the raid and not Agbado Ijaiye as erroneously alleged in the video under reference.
The video is malicious, marred by a plethora of half-truths and outright falsehoods. The truth is that the police acted on credible intelligence indicating that criminals were hiding in the area where weeds and other dangerous drugs were being sold and taken by criminals who plan their next evil, criminal acts in the area.
Consequently upon the intelligence, the police from the said police station carried out a raid of criminal hideouts in the affected area and similar places as part of proactive strategies to prevent and curb all forms of criminal activities in the state.
Two suspects were arrested and a substance suspected to be cannabis was recovered from them. Those who were not found with any incriminating item were immediately released while the two arrested with the exhibit have since been transferred to the NDLEA for further action in line with the spirit of interagency collaboration.
There was no time either before or after the raid that money or any form of inducement was given. And at no time was the supposed ‘victim’ or any other person was brutalized. Some of the suspects arrested at the same scene are witnesses who testified, denying that anyone was beaten by the policemen who carried out the raid. The supposed ‘injured victim’ was seen walking on the street shortly after the video was done.
Members of the public are, therefore, advised to discountenance the video as frivolous, malicious, and an attempt to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it. It was a video hurriedly done to whip up emotion, intended to attract public sympathy and draw attention away from the real criminal activities being (perpetrated) in the area.
The malicious allegation in the said video notwithstanding, the Command will not shirk its primary duty of making the State safe for all law-abiding residents of Lagos State.”
