BAT lawyers task IGP on abuse of colleague at Cybercrime Centre

Admin I Tuesday, December 24, 2024

 

LAGOS, Nigeria – Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (BAT) Lawyers have called on the Inspector-General of Police (I-G) Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the alleged assault on one of their members, Mr Ernest Okpaga, by some police officers attached to the National Cybercrime Center, NCCC.

BAT Lawyers is a group of Nigerian legal practitioners who supported and believed in the mandate, vision and mission of President Tinubu, as encapsulated in the renewed hope agenda for Nigerians.

The group alleged that Okpaga, an Abuja-based lawyer, was allegedly assaulted by some officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) attached to the NPF-NCCC on Dec.19.

The convener of the group, Mrs Abibat Bankole-Apena condemned the alleged assault at a press conference on Tuesday in Ikeja.

Bankole-Apena also said the group had written a petition to the IGP and Police Service Commission, PSC, requesting a thorough investigation into the matter.

She alleged that Okpaga was beaten and dragged on the floor by the officers after he resisted being locked up in a room with his client, one Ms Thomas Abiodun, who had collapsed.

She also alleged that the officers and men of NPF-NCCC hid under the anonymity that wearing mufti to work afforded to unleash terror on their member without any legal justification.

According to her, one ASP Raliant was the investigating police officer.

She thereafter called on the IGP to investigate the matter and discipline the officers involved.

Bankole-Apena said: “It is unfortunate that the actions of a few bad eggs in the Nigeria Police Force are soiling the good works of President Bola Tinubu and his lieutenants, like the Inspector General of Police which is giving this government a bad name.

“We believe that the IGP will take the matter seriously and act expeditiously in the overall interest of our country

“We also call on the police authorities to take steps to prevent such incidents in the future because we serve as part of change agents in providing the much needed feedback to government and we are participants in the process of instituting good governance in Nigeria which is a fundamental goal of Mr President.

“We have called this press conference because we want to hold these men accountable and demonstrate that there are no sacred cows under this government and we believe that the IGP will take the matter seriously and act expeditiously in the overall interest of our country.”

BAT lawyers also demanded that the necessary machinery for the discipline of those involved be initiated to serve as a lesson to any tyrant in uniform the county.

“Our member would have been beaten to death if not for the intervention of some other officers who were watching as he was being subjected to inhuman treatment.

“Okpaga informed us that it was upon this intervention that they ceased beating him, took him and his client to the police clinic where they were both treated.

“We believe that the IGP will take the matter seriously and act expeditiously in the overall interest of our country,” Bankole-Apena.