Posted by By Bola Shittu on
The OLupebi family of Ugbaga Odueko Village, Ikorodu, Lagos, has vowed to ensure that policemen, who recently broke into the house of their aged father, Pa Olupebi Ogunsero, 85, to have him taken away from his sick bed and detained along with some other members of the family, and their collaborators were made to account for the misdeed.
The OLupebi family of Ugbaga Odueko Village, Ikorodu, Lagos, has vowed to ensure that policemen, who recently broke into the house of their aged father, Pa Olupebi Ogunsero, 85, to have him taken away from his sick bed and detained along with some other members of the family, and their collaborators were made to account for the misdeed.
The family, who has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) through their solicitors, A.G Giwa-Amu and Company, to protest the action of the three policemen simply identified as Messrs Akin, Mumero and Lasisi, all of the Zone 2 Zonal Command, for their arrest, detention and manhandling of their family members, particularly the 85-year old Ogun-sero, who they forcefully removed from his sick bed at about 1am on July 30, 2004, on the allegation that he was an armed robber, demanded that the IGP thoroughly investigate their complaint and bring the policemen to justice.
According to them, the policemen, who were heavily armed, at about 11pm on July 30, 2004, broke into the 85-year old Pa Olupebi Ogun-sero's house and forcefully removed him at gun point from his sick bed, claiming that he was an armed robber.
The policemen, who acted on a false allegation made by one Kamoru Lamino, Alias Big Boss and the Aige Descendants family of Ikorodu, threw Pa Ogunsero into a Kombi bus, proceeded to arrest two other members of the family, Moshood Olubi Ogunsero and Waliu Abijo Ogunsero, both children of the aged man, before leaving Ikorodu at about 1am with the suspects.
The petition further stated that the police, who thereafter, commenced a manhunt for all other members of the Olupebi Ogunsero family, manhandled and detained the suspects, including Pa Ogunsero, not withstanding his ill-health and old age.
The lawyers in the petition signed on behalf of the chambers by Ikechukwu Okp-alugo, further alleged that inspite of their explanation that the matter had to do with a land dispute already in court and availability of sustainable sureties, the policemen refused to release the detain-ees on bail.
The situation, they claimed, had culminated in Pa Ogunsero suffering a stroke in police custody, frowning at the fact that the police officers had till date "refused to hand over or release the alleged suspects for treatment inspite of repeated demands to that effect."
The family appealed to the IGP to cause an exhaustive investigation of their complaint with a view to bring the policemen to justice.