Police free power-drunk cop, frame tortured couple

The power-drunk cop who tortured a couple in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, Dada Ogunsanya, has been freed by the police.

However, one of the victims of the torture, Ejeh Smith, is currently being detained in the Ikoyi Police Division.

PUNCH Metro gathered on Wednesday that the police at the Ikoyi division were mounting pressure on him to admit that he was a criminal.

He was initially arrested by the Lion Building Police Division for allegedly receiving stolen diesel. The Ikoyi division heard about the case after Ejeh had been granted bail, but nevertheless rearrested and brought him before some selected journalists.

The action, it was learnt, was targeted at rubbishing earlier reports indicting Ogunsanya and the then Ikoyi Divisional Police Officer, Aisha Haruna.

Our correspondent had reported in December, 2014 that Ogunsanya, a corporal attached to the Ikoyi division stopped a cab conveying Ejeh and his wife, Grace, home.

The policeman, who was part of a patrol team, was said to have shone his torch on the passengers, who protested that the inner lights of the cab should have sufficed.

Angry Ogunsanya was said to have used his rifle to hit Ejeh in the eye and stepped on Grace’s stomach.

The DPO, Haruna, was alleged to have deleted Grace’s recording of the incident.

The matter was still ongoing, when PUNCH Metro learnt on Wednesday that Ogunsanya had been released, while Ejeh had been detained for another matter.

Ejeh’s wife, Grace, said her husband was arrested for allegedly receiving a stolen keg of diesel.

She said, “Last week, I returned from work and I saw a 25-litre keg of diesel in the house. My husband said a security man in the next compound wanted to sell it to him. He explained that the security man said he did not have money on him.

“My husband told the man that he would help him sell the fuel, as he had no use of the product.”

It was gathered that the security man had stolen the fuel from his employer, which was later detected through a CCTV camera.

Policemen from the Lion Building division were said to have arrested Smith after the suspect mentioned his name.

Grace said the police in the Lion Building granted bail to her husband, but as Ejeh was going home, policemen from the Ikoyi Division surfaced and said the complainant had demanded that the matter be transferred to the division.

It was gathered that the DPO of Ikoyi division at the time of the torture, Aisha Haruna, is now the DPO of the Lion Building division.

Grace said, “After we paid N15, 000 for Smith’s bail in the Lion Building division, the police said he should be taken to the Ikoyi Police Division, that the owner of the case wanted it transferred there.

“The lawyer representing the complainant wanted to withdraw the case, but the police said the case should go on.

“The police then asked my husband to accept that he is a criminal, so that they can rubbish whatever we said they did to us. They also invited some journalists to interview him.”

It was gathered that Ogunsanya, who was back at the Ikoyi division, had been insisting on Ejeh’s arraignment in court.

But the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, said the police did not frame the couple.

He, however, admitted that Ogunsanya had been released, saying his trial had ended.

He said, “Dada Ogunsanya’s trial has ended and his rank was reduced from corporal to constable.

“Smith was arrested by his community for receiving stolen goods and was brought to the Ikoyi Police Division for investigations before charging the matter to court.

“Nobody organised a press conference on his arrest. Some journalists heard about his arrest and called me that they would like to interview him and I cannot stop them.”