Man hospitalised after alleged police brutality

A building engineer, Jide Fowotade, is presently hospitalised following a severe beating he allegedly received from two policemen attached to the Ketu Divisional headquarters of the Lagos State Police command.

Fowotade, who spoke to newsmen from his hospital bed, said he was dragged out of his car, while driving home on Saturday on Ikorodu Road by the two policemen on a motorcycle.

According to him, the policemen alleged that he almost rammed over them, an accusation, he said was a lie meant to extort him.

He said: “I was returning home from Ikorodu, where I had gone to pick up my wife from her shop. My ordeal started right under the pedestrian bridge at Ketu Bus Stop, on the Ikorodu Road.

A tricycle rider suddenly appeared from nowhere and almost rammed into my vehicle. I immediately slammed on my brake to save the situation.

“Behind me was a motorcycle with two policemen on it. My car did not have any contact with the motorcycle or with any of the policemen riding on it, but to my greatest surprise, the policemen jumped down. Before I knew what was happening, they started attacking me.

“One of them asked if I wanted to injure them? I tried to explain to them that it was a tricycle rider who drove dangerously in front of me and that in a bid to avoid running over the rider, I had to slam on my brake.

One of the policemen who I later identified as Ayo gave me head boot. Two of my front teeth fell off immediately. As if that was not enough, the policemen gave me the beatings of my life in the presence of my wife. I was later dragged into the police station where I was detained for hours,” he narrated.

He said further that he has been in pains since the incident.

“I will like the police authority to launch a probe into the attack on me so that the policemen are brought to justice,” he said.

When contacted, spokesman of the Lagos State police command, Famous Cole said the matter is under investigation.

“The DPO of the division has taken the victim to hospital for treatment while the erring officer is being dealt with departmentally for incivility to members of the public.

“The issue was just a simple incident, where the victim’s car hit the policeman and he fell off his bike. Out of anger and lack of patience from both parties, they fought in full public glare and the matter was reported to the division,” he said.