Juliana Francis
A man, Adelesi Olumide Tokunbo, has written a petition to the Police Public Complaints Response Unit, Police Force Headquarters, against an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Akin Fakorede and some other officers, alleging them of abuse of office, breach of the fundamental human rights, arrest by proxy and obtaining of the information under duress.
Tokunbo noted that the allegations were in breach of sections 254 and 396 of Penal Code Law and sections 8(2), 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and section 36 of the Police Act 2020.
ACP Fakorede is currently serving at Zone 13 Headquarters, Awka, Anambra State.
Tokunbo alleged that the ACP in flagrant abuse of his office ganged up with one Rajol Jireh Limited and Mrs. Judith Obiajulu Amaechi, wife of the erstwhile Minister of Transportation and former Governor of River’s State, and gravely wronged his and family by perpetrating the following acts contrary to law.
He claimed that Fakorede wrongfully arrested him and his family members based on the proceeding of civil transactions which he and his family members were not privy to and detained them in place of someone he deemed a suspect.
Tokunbo added that the ACP obtained information under duress from his family members in events that occurred on the 24th day of January 2022.
Tokunbo said: “At the wee hours of the 23rd day of January 2022, some unknown Police officers and Mr. Fakorede who were not in their uniform stormed the house of my mother Mrs. Adelesi Esther Omolade, a 72-year-old woman, in Dawaki, Abuja, FCT, where they lied to her last son – Adeniran Daniel Adeola that they had a message from Miss. Adelesi Yinka, my sister, the purported suspect, from Kano, gained entrance, picked Adeniran Daniel Adeola and forced him to give the whereabouts of my mother who was at my house in Games Village, Kaura District, Abuja, FCT for the care of her newly born granddaughter. At about 7:am of the same day, the same officers determined to carry out the illegal and wrongful arrest stormed my house at Games Village, Kaura District, Abuja, FCT, and proceeded to arrest my mother Mrs. Adelesi Esther Omolade together with me, an arrest which they effected without the requisite warrant of arrest and any petition. At about 7:30 AM of the same day, we were taken to the IRT Department of Nigeria Police Force Abuja, on getting there we found out that the arrests were premised on the fact that my sister, Mrs Adelesi Yinka, presently outside Nigeria, allegedly did not fulfil her obligations in a contract agreement between her and Rajol Jireh Limited, a company owned by Mrs. Judith Obiajulu Amaechi, in which Fakorede served as a Guarantor to her.”
He narrated that at the Police Station, Fakorede then threatened to “wipe out my mum and her entire family. We were forced to release our Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and other Bank details. Thereafter, Fakorede dumped us at the station and left informing us he wouldn’t see us till 5:pm. He proceeded with his plan and left one SP Tina Archibong in charge.”
According to Tokunbo, his mom, Mrs. Adelesi, tried to explain that neither she nor her sons knew anything about the contract, but the officers kept them in detention till 7:PM of the same day and refused their lawyer access to them.
He continued his narration: “We were finally released on bail to my brother at about 7:PM, after forcing us to put down statements, even without seeing any petition against us. We were each asked to leave huge blank spaces before writing the said statements, and we feared that such could be used to add untrue statements to the written statements forcefully obtained from us. We have suffered public humiliation and a severe breach of our fundamental rights due to this event. More so is the fact that my mother Mrs. Adelesi Esther Omolade has suffered psychological and health challenges due to her frail nature and age.
“After this incident, we instructed our lawyers to file a fundamental rights application before the court, and while this is still pending before Court 6 of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Honourable Justice D. U. Okorowo, with suit number – FHC/ABJ/CS/116/2022, Fakorede, had gone ahead to institute another civil action in another division of the Federal High Court, particularly in Awka, Anambra State before Honourable Justice H. A. Nganjiwa, despite both parties being abreast of an already existing matter with the same subject matter, in an action which the Inspector General of Police and Fakorede is legally represented in by J. C Idachebe ESQ and Umoh Inah ESQ, and where the court gave an order that parties should maintain status quo. Fakorede and his collaborators went to the extent of getting arrest warrants against us without a charge and obtained an order freezing our bank accounts in the above-mentioned suit, with names Adelesi Olumide Tokunbo, Adelesi Esther Omolade and Adeniran Daniel Adeola, who are the same parties in the two suits. The said second suit in Awka, Anambra state is with the suit Number –FHC/AWK/C/115/2022.”
He explained that the knowledge of this information and the fear of detention all through the holidays has made him and his mum, and his brother live in constant fear.
He said that Fakorede and his accomplices have ensured that their accounts are frozen, making it very difficult for them to survive and almost turning them into beggars, even as they do all of this in hiding and in constant fear.
He added: “We have been dealt unimaginable psychological trauma and continue to live in fear for our lives. That is why we have decided to turn to you to use your good offices to seek redress and to further prevent these persons from taking the laws into their hands, and perpetrating crimes against us, innocent citizens.”
