Police Accused Of ‘Unhealthy Rivalry’ As CP Warns Amotekun Over Handling Of Suspects

The police have warned the Oyo State Security Network Agency and other security outfits against inflicting injuries on suspects before handing them over to the police.

The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Chris Enwonwu, gave the warning in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi.

The CP said the police would no longer accept to keep suspects put in bad state of health by Amotekun in their custody because such suspects could die.

The CP’s warning followed a claim that police rejected robbery suspects taken to some police stations by Amotekun corps.

But the commissioner of police, however, said it was not correct to say that the police rejected robbery suspects taken to Mokola and Iyaganku Police Division by Amotekun.

He explained that police usually report cases at divisions controlling areas where offences were committed.

He said offences committed in one area of responsibility could not be taken to another area, saying this would hinder efficiency and accountability.

The statement read in part, “In view of the above, the commissioner of police wishes to inform the leaders and by extension men of various security operatives within the state to desist from high handedness and treatment of suspects with antipathy, inflicting serious bodily damages that often times results in death.

” It has also gotten to the attention of the Commissioner of Police that some suspects arrested and brought to the station by other security operatives are usually brought in terrible health/bad conditions not admissible for detention, leaving the police in no other condition but the demand for the treatment of such suspect, that after which they can be returned for necessary actions.

“A case to buttress the above is an incident reported at Igboora Police Station involving one Alhaji Umoru Salihu and the Amotekun operatives, who reportedly stormed Alhaji Umoru’s residence ranging about 30 in their numbers. They were alleged to have, as the report read ‘shot sporadically into the air and carted away the sum of N350,000 from him and an undisclosed amount from his wives before whisking two of his boys away to the nearest police station’ alleging them of being arrested during an armed robbery operation.

“One of the boys was shot before being brought to the station where he was denied admission into the detention facility for obvious reasons of being medically unfit and returned to the Commander of the Amotekun Corp and his team for treatment. He was thereafter taken to the hospital where he died on admission, investigation is still in progress and is drawn towards ensuring that justice deserved is served.”

Efforts to speak with the Commandant of Amotekun, Col Olayinka Olayanju (retd), were unsuccessful as calls to his telephone did not connect. The text message sent to him also had yet to be responded to as at the time of filing this report.

However, the Yoruba Youth Socio-Cultural Association Worldwide, has urged the police to shun unhealthy rivalry, saying such would not give the people the best in terms of security.

The National President of the YYSA, Olalekan Hammemd, said this in a statement while reacting to the police’s claims.

He said, “Any Attempt to blackmail amotekun in any part of South-West region would not be acceptable.

“We implore Oyo State Police command to to shun any form of rivalry with the newly established security outfit, Operation Amotekun.

“Previously, we have seen some instances whereby criminal cases were reported to police stations and the officers at those stations told members of the public to direct all their cases to Amotekun as if police are no more a law enforcement agency.”