‘Our husbands, boys are not criminals’

Women in Isale-Eko area of Lagos Island, Lagos, have protested against alleged unlawful arrest of their spouses and children by the police.

The women, who stormed the Onikan’s zonal headquarters of the police on Monday with placards of different inscriptions, appealed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Onikan, to come to their aid over alleged arbitrary arrest of their children and wards by some policemen.

The women further alleged that their husbands and children were being arrested by the policemen from Adeniji, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, and Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, over frivolous allegations.

In a letter to the AIG dated March 21, 2016 and signed by Miss Morin Savage, Mrs. Bilikisu Amodu, Mrs. Rukayat Animashaun and Mrs. Isimot Tinubu, the women urged the AIG to come to their aid and save them from the alleged criminal activities of a said woman instigating the police to carry out the arrests.

Parts of the letter reads: “Sir, with greatest respect and honour to your office, we humbly write to intimate you about the unwarranted arrest, detention and persecution of innocent citizens by the police on phantom allegations.”

Speaking on the petition, the Zone 2 Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Adebowale Lawal, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), confirmed that the women had submitted a petition to the zone.

Lawal also confirmed that a human rights group, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), had submitted a similar petition to the zone, adding that both petitions will be merged together since it was based on the same complaint, and will be dealt with accordingly.