This is a report of the twenty-third public hearing of the Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality, Violation of Rights of Citizens and Unlawful Killings in Oyo State.
Venue: The House of Chiefs, Oyo State House of Assembly, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021.
Today’s sitting commenced at about 9:19am, shortly after the arrival of the panelists.
Petitions for Hearing at the Oyo State Judicial Panel
1. Case No. OYJPPB/065
The Family of Late Waheed Olanrewaju v The DPO, Mokola Police Station. The family was represented by Saheed Olanrewaju, the deceased’s brother. The petitioner was also represented by Ajibola Alarape (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by CSP Funke Fawole. The petitioner was invited to the witness stand and was sworn on the Quran.
Saheed Olanrewaju was the deceased’s younger brother. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He said that on the 11th of January, 2021 at about 10:30pm, Ganiyat Olanrewaju (his older sister) called him on phone to ask if he knew about Waheed’s death, to which he responded that he was not aware. He said he proceeded to ask how she got to know and she told him that Waheed’s neighbour called his daughter, Islamiya Olanrewaju who lives with her, to inform her about his death. She then asked him to go to Waheed’s house immediately, which he did.
He said that when he got to Waheed’s house at Galaxy Area, Oke Are he was told by his neighbours that Waheed was accused of rape by one Iya Ife, who alongside three other men had arrested Waheed, took him to Mokola Police Station but he did not return home. He said that he was told that Iya Ife is a member of OPC and she had gone alongside with other OPC members to arrest Waheed and that he was last seen with Iya Ife.
He said that he went with Aliyu Alaga, Baba Shola, Yinusa, and his wife Selimot Olanrewaju to Mokola Police Station to ask about Waheed’s whereabouts. On getting there, Aliyu Alaga and Baba Shola were allowed into the police station. However, they were told by the DCO Mokola Police Station, that there was no rape case involving Waheed Olanrewaju. He said they left the station the same day.
On getting home, the neighbours were angry and made attempts to raze down Iya Ife’s house and this made one of the occupants to call the landlord of the property. He said that the landlord joined them at that point and begged them not to raze down his house and instead offer to call Iya Ife’s older sister on the phone. He said that the landlord put a call through to her and she told him that Iya Ife accused Waheed of raping her daughter and he was taken to Mokola Police Station. She further said that they should go to Mokola Police Station on January 12, 2021 and that Iya Ife would join them at the station.
He said that he went alongside the landlord, Baba Shola, Aliyu to the police station on the said day and was joined by Iya Ife at about 10am. They then proceeded to the DCO’s office. On getting to the DCO’s office, she knelt and appreciated him for what he did the day before that day, then they questioned why the DCO said he knew nothing about a rape accusation against Waheed when they came on January 11, 2021. He said that the DCO told them that he had lied to them that he knew nothing about a rape case involving Waheed Olanrewaju because of issues relating to #EndSARS.
He said that he then told the DCO that Iya Ife was the woman who took his brother from his home after which he inquired of his brother’s whereabouts from her. According to him, the DCO said that Iya Ife had gone alongside three men to arrest Waheed, put him on a motorcycle but Waheed had dragged the motorcycle with the rider while on motion. He said this made the motorcyclist to stop at Oniyanrin. At this point he said that Iya Ife and the other men had to beat him and he died in the process. The DCO then told him that the corpse was deposited at Old Adeoyo Hospital, Yemetu. He further said that he had not made any attempt to retrieve his brother’s corpse.
He prayed the government to help him get justice because the police had failed to investigate the death, covered up the murder and instead abetted in depositing the corpse at the morgue.
With this he was cross examined by CSP Fawole, the Police Officer in Charge Legal.
The petitioner’s counsel, Ajibola Alarape (Esq.) prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel for an adjournment so as to enable him present the second witness before the panel. The petition was therefore adjourned till April 15, 2021 for further hearing.
2. Case No. OYJPPB/068
Min. of Public Works (Vehicle Inspection Services Department) v Unknown Hoodlums. The petitioner was represented by Engr. Adeoye Kikelomo Oyeyemi (Zonal Commander, Monatan Station), Engr. Aremu Olusola (Zonal Commander, Idi Ayunre), Ajayi James (Dir. VIS). The petitioner was also represented by the Chief State Counsel Oyo State Ministry of Justice, K. K. Oloso-Olayiwola.
The petitioner’s counsel, K. K. Oloso-Olayiwola said that the Oyo State Judicial Panel asked her to provide the list of what was destroyed during the #EndSARS protest at the last adjourned date which was February 23, 2021. She submitted the list and then invited her first witness, Engr. Kikelomo Adeoye to the witness stand. She was sworn on the Holy Bible.
Engr. Kikelomo Oyeyemi Adeoye was the first witness for this petition. She lives at (redacted) Ibadan. She works with Oyo State Government under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (Vehicle Inspection Department), Monatan Office. She is the Zonal Commander, Vehicle Inspection Services, Monatan Ibadan.
She said that on the 22nd of October, 2020 she heard on radio that hoodlums attacked Monatan Police Station not knowing that the hoodlums branched at the VIS Station at Monatan. She said that when she got to the office the following day, she met the gate to the office widely open, the 504 Salon patrol van with registration number 0Y04AO9 vandalised including another impounded Nissan vehicle with registration number MUS04EW. She said that the #EndSARS protesters looted the office and carted away with 25 impounded motorcycles, generating set, 10 plastic chairs, uniforms, boots, infrared thermometer, staplers, 2 road worthiness booklets, extension box, calculator and fumigation sprayers. She gave the sum total of the looted and vandalised items as N9,353,901. She therefore prayed the government for another patrol van, renovation of the station, replacement of the vandalised impounded vehicle and other looted motorcycles.
With this she was cross examined by the Oyo State Judicial Panel members.
The next witness, Yinka Babalola was called and sworn in on the Holy Bible. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is a motorcyclist. He is 32 years old. He has been riding motorcycle for the past ten years and one of the looted motorcycles at VIS Department, Monatan Station belonged to him. He said that he was arrested by a VIS officer on the 15th of October, 2020 at Wofun Olodo for riding an unregistered motorcycle. He said that he later joined the officer at Monatan Station where he was asked why he did not have a plate number, after which he was issued a fine ticket of N30,000. He said that the fine was later reduced to N10,000 after he pleaded. With this, he tendered the fine ticket and other documents before the panel.
The fine ticket dated 15th October, 2020 was admitted and marked Exhibit A, the purchase receipt dated 18th February, 2020 was admitted and marked Exhibit B, the invoice was admitted and marked exhibit C and the customs paper was admitted and marked exhibit D. Therefore, he prayed the government for another motorcycle to enable him feed his family.
The third witness was Abiola Saheed and he was sworn on the Quran. He lives at (redacted), Apomu in Osun State. He is an aluminum artisan. He rides a motorcycle as a side business. He said that the VIS arrested him at Iwo Road on the 16th of October, 2020 for not having his papers with him. He said that an officer collected his motorcycle which had registration number (redacted) and he followed him to the station. On getting to the station, he was told to provide his papers. He went home to get the papers but couldn’t make it back to the station because it was late. He said he went back to the station on the 19th October, 2020 at about 1pm but met the office closed due to a riot that took place earlier in the morning. He said that he went back to the office on the 22nd of October, 2020 but he didn’t meet any of the officers and was told by people around that the office had been looted. He tendered the motorcycle’s documents before the Oyo State Judicial Panel and they were admitted into exhibits.
He then prayed the government to replace his motorcycle which he bought for N235,000 on the 22nd of February, 2020.
The fourth witness, Sijuola Emmanuel, was invited to the witness stand and was sworn in on the Holy Bible. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is a stainless hand rail installer. He said he approached the panel because his Nissan Salon car with registration number (redacted) was vandalised at the VIS office, Monatan during the #EndSARS protest. He said that the VIS Department arrested him at Academy, Iwo Road because his driver’s license was under processing. With this, the petitioner tendered his particulars and they were admitted into evidence. He therefore prayed the government to assist him with N400,000 to repair the vandalised car.
Muyideen Bisirimiyu was the fifth witness and he was sworn on the Quran. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is a motorcyclist. He approached the panel because his motorcycle was looted at the VIS office during the #EndSARS protest. He said that he was arrested by the VIS department because he was yet to register his motorcycle. He tendered the motorcycle’s document before the panel and it was admitted in evidence. He therefore prayed the government to replace his motorcycle so that he could take care of his family.
The next witness was Adigun Makinde. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is a supplier of poultry materials and he is into fishery. He approached the panel because his motorcycle with registration number (redacted) was looted at the VIS office, Monatan. He said the VIS Department arrested him on the 13th of October, 2020 because he was not with his particulars. He tendered the motorcycle’s documents before the Oyo State Judicial Panel and they were admitted into evidence. He prayed the government for a replacement of his looted motorcycle.
The last witness was Idowu Azeez Olaoye. He was sworn on the Holy Quran. He is an electrician and he uses his motorcycle as a side business. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He said he was arrested by the VIS Department on the 23rd of September 2020 at Iwo Road because he couldn’t tender his documents. He tendered the documents before the panel and they were admitted into evidence. He said that he approached the panel because his motorcycle with registration number (redacted) was looted at the VIS Office, Monatan. He therefore prayed that the government should assist him with N120,000 to purchase another motorcycle.
With this the petition was adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till April 28, 2021 for further hearing.
Having gone through the proceedings for today, the hearing was brought to a close at about 6:13pm.