…as Honourable makes move to help
Juliana Francis
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fayoade Adegoke, has visited the 12-year-old girl Aminate Alege, who was hit in the eye by a canister of tear gas fired by a policeman attached to the Dopemu Police Station.
It was gathered that Adegoke went with other senior police officers and they were led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Dopemu Police Division.
Adegoke was said to have asked several questions and ensured copious pictures were taken.
A human rights activist, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, while appreciating Adegoke for taking time to visit the child and her parents, further shared efforts he had made concerning helping Aminata.
His words: “After calling for action to start something immediately last night, I sent the incident to some platforms.
“I call on all members of civil societies and true human among Nigerians to join our struggle for the rescue of the poor family. At around 8:00a.m today, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly called me and volunteered to take up this matter.
“He asked me to confirm if the girl was still at the hospital and I just finished speaking with the family and fed the Hon Member of LSHA back. He promised to also call the family soon and as well move it today at the Lagos Assembly.
“He would later get another response thus, ‘The matter has been reported to the RT. Hon Speaker, he has directed the House Committee Chairman on Health to go to LASUTH and ensure issues of money do not delay whatever the doctors need to do, while we look into how to handle the issue of police as they are under the exclusive list in the constitution.’ The above is the report from the Lagos Assembly.”
It will be recalled that Comrade Seyi A of Metro Unit, Ikeja, CDHR, stated that the incident happened on the 9th of February 2024.
Seyi also maintained that the child needed urgent intervention to save her eye, and described the case as a human rights abuse by men of the Nigeria Police, Alabode Police Station, headed by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Akeem.
He also stated that the child was a victim of police recklessness.
He wrote: “We are calling for the support of CDHR to come to the rescue of the parents of Aminat Alege, a student at Junior Secondary School (JSS3), Adam Yakubu Memorial High School, Iloro, Cement, Agege Lagos.
“Eyewitness reports said that she was shot while entering the mosque situated next to the school compound after school hours to join her parents to observe the Jumat Friday Prayer last week Friday 9th, February 2024.
“It was reported that some students of Iloro were fighting among themselves, some of the students went to the nearby Alabode Police Station to report the matter and police officers were deployed by the DPO, Mr Akeem.
“The DPO, Mr Akem deployed four officers to visit the school. On getting to the school gate, the policemen started firing canisters of teargas indiscriminately, which hit the 12-year-old girl in the eye and badly damaged her left eye, with heavy bleeding.
“She was rushed to the Ilepo General Hospital, where she was rejected and then referred to Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where N2,000,000 has been requested as the fee for immediate surgery to be carried out on her right eye.
“The eye is badly damaged and at Ikeja General Police, N2m is requested to carry out an emergency surgery. But up till now, the DPO and his men had dropped only N50,000.
“The police at Alabode, DPO Akeem and his men dropped a ridiculous N50,000, while N2m is required for the surgery. We are calling on CDHR and CSO, Lagosians, Nigerians, and bloggers to come to the aid of the poor parents.
“We need your support to fight for her life by compelling the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, DPO Akeem to take full responsibility and save the life of the 12-year-old little schoolgirl.
“The family cannot afford to raise N2m and both father and mother are traumatised. The police must take responsibility for bad behaviour and accidents within its operation. The parents can be reached on 0915 102 2029.”
