Police brutality: Father of four seeks redress over torture

A father of four children, Alhaji Kasali Ojo, has accused the Police of torturing him and thereafter left him traumatised.
Kasali’s ordeal, runs contrary to the often-trumpeted appeal that, the police are the friends of the people. However, when circumstances arise where the Police dished out threats and exploited the people, these call for urgent action and redress.
This is exactly the case with a businessman,  Kasali Ojo, 49, who was allegedly tortured and maltreated by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command. 
Ojo who is the Managing Director/CEO of Asaka Auto Investment Nigeria Ltd, was alleged to have led a gang of dare-devil robbers, who according to the five-man Anti-Robbery team that came for his arrest and subsequent torture, had killed two ADCs attached to a state governor (name withheld).
Information made available to The Daily Times revealed that the SARS’ Operatives, had stormed Ojo,’s office at No.  63/69, Ijebu Road, Car Wash Bus Stop, Ikotun, Lagos, on May 15th, 2017, at about 11: 30am.
In a petition by Ojo to the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Police Command, the petitioner called for the immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding his ordeal over what he knew nothing about..
Narrating his own side of the story, in a chat with our correspondent, Ojo said. “On the fateful day, the SARS’ operatives invaded my office, brandishing firearms. Immediately they got into my office, they reached for me, began to slap me, such that it has affected my hearing capacity.”
He said, “They handcuffed me and threw me into the booth of their vehicle and drove me all the way to Badagry. I was taken to the house of one of a one- time client, who had  bought a brand new motorcycle from me in January, 2017. It was while we were there that the reason for the visit of the SARS’ officers became clear to me.”
According to him, “They also started hitting my client; and alleged that he  was the one who supplied armed robbers with bikes; and that he had sold the bike, which was used for the robbery operation, where two ADCs of a governor were killed.”
Ojo stated that he remembered someone bringing back the bike he had bought for repair work in March, due to a six-month warranty given. He said that the motorcycle was fixed by the engineer of the suppliers in his office at Ijegun, from where it was bought, and subsequently, when the rider did not return for the bike, the owner at whose house the unscrupulous SARS’ officials had taken him, came to claim the bike, presenting the original documents to him and saying, he was the actual owner, as the rider, who had brought the bike, was unserious.
In his petition, Ojo alleged that, “They also called me a supplier to robbery gangs, which my client immediately  refuted; and he told them that I’m a genuine seller of new bikes with business branches known to people.”
“Instead of them to listen to him, they slapped him several times. They also asked him to disclose who bought his bike. He told them that he sold off his motorcycle when the rider became unserious. He also promised to take them to the Hausa man who bought the bike.”
After leaving Badagry, Ojo buttressed that they took him in the booth in handcuffs to their SARS’ office in Ikeja, where his people paid what he termed, a ransom to his ruthless and brutal “abductors,” who rampaged as officers of the Nigerian Police Force.
Ojo said.  “While at SARS office, the operatives said that they were searching for the guns taken from the slain ADCs of a governor.  I told them I knew nothing about what they were taking about.  At this point, my family members and neighbours had come for me.”
He said, ” They were begging for my release, only to be told that I will be given bail with N1 million.  They threatened them that the Commissioner of Police was aware of the matter; and that if they take me to him, my case would be worse than it was then.  After much plea from my family and friends that the amount was on the high side, they collected N200,000 as bail. The leader of the officers, who was simply called, Alhaji Aliu, ordered me to return to the SARS on Friday, the 19th May, 2017.”
He said, “On getting to the SARS office Lagos State Police Command on Friday, the leader of the team just asked me to go, since the missing riffles have been found.”
The businessman, who was still in shock, said he was yet to understand why he was handcuffed and kept in the booth for six hours, which he said was unjust, even if he was a cheap criminal. He also noted that even when neighbours around tried to intervene, they were chased with an AK47 by one of the SARS’ operatives.
He, therefore, called on top echelon of the police force and well-meaning Nigerians to look into the matter, so as  to give him justice by bringing the unpatriotic officers to book, particularly as, his image in the eyes of the public, has been dented; and the fact that he was still traumatised.
SECOND LEAD