Lawyer petitions Lagos CP over unlawful detention of client at SARS
Admin l Tuesday, October 16, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – A Lagos lawyer, from the chambers of Nkenchor Endurance & Co has petitioned Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Mr. Zubairu Muazu over continued detention of his client, Mr. Ehis Job by the Special Anti Robbery Squad(SARS), Ikeja, Lagos.
In the petition dated September 30, 2019, which copied Committe for the Defence of Human Rights(CDHR), Human Rights Nigeria, UN Committee on Human and Peoples Rights, American Embassy, the Inspector General of Police and the Police Public Relations Officer, the petitioner, Nkenchor Endurance averred that his client(Ehis Job) was arrested sometimes in August on his way to Church at Ajegunle by officers from Ajeromi Police Station but was transferred two days later to the Special Anti Robbery Squad(SARS) Ikeja, Lagos.
He alleged that his client is undergoing severe torture in SARS while he is denied access to his counsel and family members. “He is not allowed access to his relations and when his legal practitioners went to see him, they were not allowed … and threatened with violence. We have it on good authority that our client has no complainant”, he said.
He said his client is alleged to belong to a cult, adding that even if the allegations were true, the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigera as ammended in Section 36(5) states that every person who is charged(alleged) with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until he is proven guilty”, he said.
According to him, “detaining our client for more than one month without been released on bail or charged to court is derogation of section 35(1) of the same 1999 constitution of Nigeria which states that every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty.
“Our take is that SARS cannot be the prosecutor, the defence and at the same time the court in one case, it is against the tenets of natural justice”, he said and called on CP Muazu to prevail on O/C SARs Ikeja Lagos together with Supo Opis and the Investigating Police Officer(IPO) Mr. Shedrack all of SARS Ikeja to charge his clients to court or release him on bail.
