Group asks IGP to investigate assault on member
25 December 2024 |
3:45 am
For allegedly assaulting Mr. Earnest Okpaga, the national coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (BAT) Lawyers, the group has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun to investigate his officers and sanction the culprits.
For allegedly assaulting Mr. Earnest Okpaga, the national coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (BAT) Lawyers, the group has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun to investigate his officers and sanction the culprits.
The group urged the IGP to do so immediately in the overall interest of the country. 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 National Cybercrime Centre (NCC) on December 19, 2024.
The convener of the group, Mrs Habibat Bankole-Apena while speaking with newsmen in Lagos at the Lagos High Court premises, yesterday condemned the alleged assault
Bankole-Apena also said the lawyers’ group had written a petition to the office of IGP, 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 members without any legal justification.
According to her, one ASP Reliant was the investigating police officer. She thereafter called on the IGP to investigate the matter and discipline the erring officers involved.
Bankole-Apena said: “It is unfortunate that the actions of a few bad eggs in the Nigeria Police Force are spoiling 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 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.”
BAT lawyers, therefore, demanded that the necessary machinery for the discipline of those involved be initiated to serve as a lesson to any tyrant in uniform in the country.
“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 declared.
Related
1 hour ago
The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has expressed confidence that the Christmas season would bring renewed hope, happiness and countless blessings. Mahmoud, who stated this in her Christmas message in Abuja on Wednesday, called on residents of the FCT to use the occasion to reflect on the values of love,…
7 hours ago
The usual frenzy of last-minute shopping that characterises the Christmas season was noticeably subdued yesterday, as the harsh economic reality faced by many citizens took its toll. Despite the festive atmosphere
7 hours ago
Katsina State Hisbah Board has resolved over 2,500 marriage-related cases since its establishment by Governor Dikko Radda. The Commander General of Hisbah in the state, Dr Aminu Usman (Abu Ammar), disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Katsina yesterday.
7 hours ago
Fifteen months after the commencement of operations on the Apapa Port-Ibadan cargo freight service, only 7,369 containers have been moved on the rail, underscoring the low utilisation of the $1.5 billion project.
7 hours ago
A Coalition of local and International Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on President Bola Tinubu to halt all divestment requests from International Oil Corporations (IOCs) in the Niger Delta
7 hours ago
The Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has signed the N971 billion 2025 Appropriation Bill into law, vowing that his administration would diligently implement the budget to achieve the target of economic growth and inclusive prosperity for the state.
8 hours ago
Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has expressed concern over a new trend in oil bunkering, saying children and women were being used as human shields at illegal refining camps.
8 hours ago
Abuja High Court has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to release the detained President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, pending his trial.
8 hours ago
The controversy rocking the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) over the choice of a substantive Vice-Chancellor (VC) assumed a new dimension yesterday, as professors protested the selection process on the school premises.
8 hours ago
Nigeria’s leaders have reiterated calls to the citizenry to embrace hope, unity, and peace as Christians across the country join their counterparts globally in celebrating Christmas today.
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.