Juliana Francis
A man identified as Adewuyi has narrated to members of the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN), how an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), named Aminu, attached to Igando Police Station, attempted to use the name of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi to frustrate the rape case of his younger sister.
Adewuyi’s 19 years old sister was said to have been sexually violated by her principal, Mr Daniel, while she was writing her West Africa Examination in the school.
The incident occurred at her school in the Alimosho local government area.
Daniel was alleged to have violated the student after he asked her to get some materials from his office for him.
julianafrancisnews.com (JFNews) gathered that after the alleged act, he threatened the survivor that he would kill her if she told anyone about the encounter.
When the survivor got home, she blurted out the incident to her elder brother, who went to Igando Police Station to lodge a complaint. Daniel was arrested but was soon released some hours later. The survivor’s brother alleged compromise.
Adewuyi vexed and fearing that justice was slipping from his sister, returned to Igando Police Station, to find out why Daniel was released, ASP Aminu, allegedly told him that CP Alabi ordered them to release Daniel and that there was nothing they could have done since the instruction came from above.
Adewuyi went home to lick his wounds and leave everything to God as usual, but a friend advised him to seek for human rights activist. He asked questions and was directed to ACVPN.
ACVPN, which has taken up the case, demanding justice for the survivor, expressed shock that Daniel was not detained, especially with police personnel in Lagos State knowing the gravity of sexual violation in the State.
According to the mandated reporter who escalated the matter further: “The matter was reported to a police officer popularly known as Inspector Amato who works under ASP Aminu. This Aminu happens to be the former Station Officer of Igando Police Station. They proclaimed themselves as a Gender Unit which is not recognised by the Gender Unit Ikeja. We have drawn the attention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Igando division, a Superintendent of Police (SP) Gbadegesin Toyin to this ugly development regarding this case.”
A child rights advocate, Mr. Ebenezer Omejalile, also the co-founder of ACVPN, said: “Igando Police Station officers should know better than a case of sexual abuse is not bailable. Igando Police Station JWC has been upgraded to Family Support Unit. Yet, some unscrupulous officers within the station still hijacked cases, which do not fall under their purview despite the fact that they have been warned against such practices.”
Omajilale further stated: “I spoke with the survivor’s elder brother and he complained that Supol Aminu told him that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police called him last night that they should release the perpetrator. Is this not a big fat lie? See how they rubbish the good name and office of the CP Lagos. We gathered that Supol Aminu got his promotion after the #EndSARS saga in which he was one of the injured officers who benefited from the Inspector General of Police Special Promotions. Supol Aminu was supposed to have been posted out because he has stayed too long at Igando Police Station. I don’t think the CP will be happy to hear that they were using his good name to frustrate sexual abuse cases, which are not bailable. The DPO Gbadegesin should please put a final stop to this illegality.”
