December 01, 2015 – Scores of residents of Lagos Island today marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly protesting what they called police harassment, intimidation, indiscriminate arrest and connivance with suspected hoodlums terrorising the area.
The group which stormed the Lagos House under the auspices of Concerned Citizens for True Justice, the group said the problem started last year, when the Assistant Youth Leader of the APC in Lagos Island, Mr. Ashake was shot dead by suspected PDP agents.
Prince Adedamola Adele Shonibare who led the group said they reported the matter at the Central Police Station in Lagos.
“The principal suspect was arrested and was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti. The DCP, Panti, Mr. Gbenga Adeyanju took over the matter and within a short period of time, the suspect was released despite intervention of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu because he was duly informed of the development.
“Abija and his gang members have been terrorising the people of Lagos Island for a long time. They have injured and maimed many people in the area,” he said.
Prince Shonibare also alleged that five people from the community, who were coming from a social function were beheaded at Ajah in June this year and that the suspected murderers took their heads away.
He said further that the present Area Commander of the area, Mr. Salmon Dogo led the operation to arrest the suspects in the matter and that they were all taken to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), but were released without any intensive or thorough investigation.
“About a month ago, we discovered that the Area Commander in connivance with one Mrs. Ola Williams adopted a method of harassing, intimidating and persecuting innocent people to make an avenue for Rafiu Abija and his gang to come back to the community.
“The community did not banish Abija, but the offence they committed is driving them away. The moment they come back to the community, the law would take its course. Nobody will attack them, but they must be arrested by the police and prosecuted.
“The police are harassing, intimidating and arresting innocent members of the community because the Area Commander knows that the law must take its course. In fact, the Area Commander invited me to his office on three different occasions to plead that I should help him persuade the community people that Abija should come back to the community,” he said.
Prince Shonibare revealed that he went to Abuja and met with the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, whom he said referred him to his DIG, Finance and Administration, who promised to look into the matter.
He added that he met with the IG again, when he was in Lagos last week and that he spoke to him, and that he promised to look into the matter.
He alleged further that he got information that some traditional chiefs in Lagos Island called the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni that they should not release the people that were arrested indiscriminately in the area by the police, adding that he has the names of the chiefs with him, and that Abija is the leader of the gang that has been terrorising the area, where one of the chiefs live.
“Ashake was murdered by some political thugs on Saturday September 20th, 2014, when former president Goodluck Jonathan came to Lagos. After that, they started harassing, molesting and intimidating our people. The problem now is that the police want to avert justice, they don’t want justice to take its cause,” he said.
Also speaking, another resident of the area, Mrs. Fausat Lawan alleged that agents of the PDP are causing problem in the area and that they destroyed her properties and wounded her before the agents of the woman they call Iron Lady in the area went to her house to abduct her son.
She said that the matter was reported at the Lion Building, and appealed to the government to talk to the woman to release her son.
“People should help me, we are APC members, but we are being harassed by PDP agents. They also wounded my daughter-in-law and they have been making life difficult for us,” she said.
Addressing the protesters, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa assured the them that steps would be taken to address issues in the petition submitted to the House by the protesters.
“We have seen your petition, but don’t cause any trouble. We were not there, when these things were happening, but we will take the necessary steps on the matter.
“The government would not allow anybody to suffer. We will punish whoever is guilty, and the person would be dealt it based on the judgment of the court,” he said.
The Speaker promised that the House would ensure that whoever has been arrested from the area unjustly is released as soon as possible, and that efforts would be made to ensure that innocent members of the public were not punished and that those who kill others would be made to face the music.
He advised the protesters to be peaceful, while going back home and assured them that the state Commissioner of Police would be told to intervene in the matter.
