an …Vows to expose police officers

The Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan, has tendered a public apology to the Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council, Lekan Akindoju, over his unlawful arrest and detention by a team of police officers from the command.

Gotan disclosed that investigation is ongoing to unravel the officers who carried out the illegal arrest and detention. He vowed to expose them.

His apology is coming about a week after a team of fully armed policemen, said to be from the Prompt Response Unit of the state police command, invaded the residence of Akindoju, an Editor with Rave FM radio station in Osogbo, harassed, handcuffed and whisked him away without any just cause.

In an interview, Akindoju had said he was arrested on Thursday, June 11, at about 6:00am in a traumatising manner. He was however released about five hours later following interventions by concerned stakeholders.

According to the NUJ Secretary, the police officers later claimed that he was arrested and detained “mistakenly” after threatening and harassing him with guns.

He further revealed that the officers collected the sum of N77,000 as bail from his neighbour who was arrested with him on the said day before releasing him.

“After a while and due to the intervention of those who came, the CP, Ibrahim Gotan told the police officers I had to go and ordered them to release me. But I was forced to write a statement. They told me I had to explain to them the people living in my compound, the kind of people they are and how many they are. I had to write a statement and my CEO had to fill a bail bond. Though we didn’t pay. But, eventually, the other guy that was picked up, he was released last night and he told me that they collected N77,000 from him before he could regain his freedom,” Akindoju had said.

Enraged by the development, NUJ and other relevant bodies condemned the arrest and called on CP Gotan to identify and produce the team of police officers who unlawfully arrested and detained the editor.

Gotan was also charged to expose the officers who allegedly extorted Akindoju’s neighbour to the tune of N77,000 and bring them to justice.

They had described the developments as disturbing and unacceptable. While calling on the CP to identify the officers who carried out the activities and bring them to book, they also demanded for public apology from the Police Force over the unwarranted harassment of the journalist.

Meanwhile, speaking on a television programme on behalf of the CP, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abiodun Ojelabi, in an apparent sober mood, apologised to Akindoju, Osun NUJ Council and all the journalists in the state over the incidents.

Ojelabi said the CP asked him to tender the apology, saying an ,investigation is ongoing to expose the officers who carried out the arrest.

“In the name of the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, CP Ibrahim Gotan, I want to beg the Osun NUJ Secretary, all citizens of Osun State, and all Journalists, not to be angry over the incidents. The CP asked me to say this. We are investigating the officers who carried out the acts,” Ojelabi said.