This is a report of the thirty-fourth 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, April 14, 2021.
Today’s sitting commenced at about 9:23am, shortly after the arrival of the Oyo State Judicial Panel members. Today’s sitting was presided over by one of the panel members, Mrs Funmi Odutayo.
Petitions for Mention at the Oyo State Judicial Panel
1. Case No. OYJPPB/044
Mr Kunle Ajayi v The Nigeria Police, Bodija Ibadan. The petitioner was present and was represented by U. S. Ngugah (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by Mr M. A. Ojeah.
At the last adjourned date which was 25th of March, 2021, the Oyo State Judicial Panel had ordered that the DPO as at the time of the incident, Mr Moruf Iliasu and one Inspector Babatunde Ajibade of the Housing Police Station, be brought before the panel and that the manager of Le Chateau Event Centre should be served with the hearing notices.
In view of this, Mr Ojeah, the respondent counsel presented Mr Moruf Iliasu and Babatunde Ajibade before the Oyo State Judicial Panel. He said he had been served with the processes of the petition but was yet to file a response. He therefore prayed the panel for an adjournment for hearing.
With this, the Oyo State Judicial Panel adjourned the petition till April 29, 2021 for definite hearing. The panel directed that the responses should be filed before the next adjourned date and fresh hearing notices should be served on the Manager, Le Chateau Event Centre.
2. Case No. OYJPPB/045
Mr Daodu Ayoniyi Edward v The Nigeria Police, Iyaganku. The petitioner was absent and was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, Mr M. A. Ojeah appeared on behalf of the respondent.
At the last adjourned date, the Oyo State Judicial Panel directed the police to furnish the panel with the names of the officers who were on duty as at the time of the incident.
Mr Ojeah, the respondent’s counsel said he had been served with the processes but was yet to file a response to the petition. He said that the Police Officer in Charge Legal, CSP Funke Fawole, had been to the Iyaganku Police Division to get the names of the officers but he was yet to get a response from her end.
Therefore, the Oyo State Judicial Panel adjourned the petition till April 29, 2021 for hearing. The panel also ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served on the petitioner.
3. Case No. OYJPPB/039
Olamide Onikosi v Nigeria Police, Iyaganku. The petitioner was absent but was represented by Solomon Adegboyo (Esq.). Meanwhile, Mr M. A. Ojeah maintained appearance on behalf of the respondent.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mr Adegboyo apologised for the absence of the petitioner, who he said was indisposed. He said that based on the directive of the Oyo State Judicial Panel, he had filed the petitioner’s new statement of fact dated March 17, 2021 and would like to substitute it with the petition filed on February 24, 2021.
Mr Ojeah, the respondent’s counsel said that he had been served with the processes of the petition but was yet to file a response.
With this, the Oyo State Judicial Panel granted Mr Adegboyo’s application and the petition was adjourned till May 5, 2021 for hearing.
Petitions for Hearing at the Oyo State Judicial Panel
4. Case No. OYJPPB/025
Alh. Ganiyu Ajiboye v Oyo State Police Command. The petitioner was present and was represented by Kingsley Ike (Esq.). Mr M. A. Ojeah maintained appearance on behalf of the respondent.
The petitioner’s counsel, Kingsley Ike (Esq.) said that he would present three witnesses before the Oyo State Judicial Panel. With this, the first witness was invited to the witness stand and was sworn on the Quran.
The name of the first witness is Alh. Ganiyu Ajiboye Busari. He lives at (redacted), Oyo. He is a farmer. He told the Oyo State Judicial Panel that he would adopt the statement of fact he had submitted to the panel on the 13th of April, 2021.
He said that while he was in his farm at (redacted), Oyo on the 1st of February, 2013, his son Ajiboye Sheriff, had called him at about 1:30pm to inform him that about 250 armed and mobile police men in 15 patrol vehicles and two A. P. G. armoured tanks forcefully gained entrance into the Asipa compound by breaking the gate locks to the area and went straight to his family building in (redacted) Oyo wherein his family and other extended members of the family were staying.
He said that he was told that one Dasuki Galadanci, who was the Assistant Commissioner of Police at that time, had identified himself as the team lead and had claimed that his mission was to seal up his family building and to take away his black Kia Mohave Jeep.
He said that when his son questioned Dasuki Galadanci, he claimed that he acted on the authority, directive and collective instructions of his superiors. He said that when he demanded for document or any instrument to back-up his mission, Dasuki Galadanci had said that he and his team were acting on verbal instructions from the superior.
He said that the building was sealed up and was only reopened about two years ago. He said all the properties contained in the building had been taken away. He therefore prayed the Oyo State Judicial to see to the release of his car and grant him access to his house.
Thereafter, the petitioner’s counsel, Kingsley Ike (Esq.) tendered all the relevant documents and pictorial evidence before the Oyo State Judicial Panel and they were marked and admitted as exhibits.
The respondent’s counsel, Mr Ojeah and the members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel took turns to cross examine the petitioner. With this, the second witness was invited to the witness stand and was sworn on the Quran.
The name of the second witness is Alh. Ahmed Mustapha. He is an electrical contractor. He lives in the same neighbourhood with the petitioner. He said there is a mosque in the petitioner’s compound, so he goes there to pray. He said he witnessed the incident that happened on the 1st of February, 2013 because he was in the environment to pray as usual. He said the police officers who came to the petitioner’s house on the said date with patrol vans and armoured tanks, numbered about two hundred and fifty. He said the police officers were led by one Dasuki Galadanci, who said he was acting based on the order of his superior authorities. He said he doesn’t know anything which might have transpired between the petitioner, the government and the Alaafin of Oyo before that incident.
With this, Mr Ojeah, the respondent’s counsel and the members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel took turns to cross examine the witness. The third witness was therefore invited to the witness stand and he was sworn on the Quran.
The third witness is Sheriff Ajiboye. He lives at (redacted) Oyo. He is the petitioner’s son. He is a businessman. He said he was at the scene of the incident on the said date. He said the petitioner was a high chief as at the time of the incident. He said he does not know of any issues between the police and the petitioner as regards the chieftaincy title. He was cross examined by the respondent’s counsel, Mr Ojeah and members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel.
With this the Oyo State Judicial Panel adjourned the petition till May 18, 2021 to enable the respondent’s counsel, Mr Ojeah, present his witness before the panel.
5. Case No. OYJPPB/035
Mr Muraina Kadiri Adeyemi v The Nigeria Police Iyaganku, Ibadan. The petitioner was present and was represented by W. A. Lamide (Esq.). Meanwhile, Mr M. A. Ojeah appeared on behalf of the respondent.
The petitioner was invited to the witness stand and was sworn on the Quran. The petitioner’s name is Muraina Kadiri Adeyemi. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is a secondary school teacher.
At this point, the petitioner’s counsel, Mr Lamidi prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel for an adjournment to enable him amend the petition as it appeared that the petitioner was not coherent in his oral testimony.
With this, the petition was adjourned till May 5, 2021 for hearing to enable the petitioner amend his petition.
6. Case No. OYJPPB/067
Mr Anishere v Abolade v Inspector Dorcas, Area Command Apata, Ibadan. The petitioner was present and was represented by W. A. Lamidi (Esq.). Meanwhile, Mr M. A. Ojeah appeared on behalf of the respondent.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mr Lamidi sought the permission of the Oyo State Judicial Panel for an adjournment because there were irregularities in the petition.
The Oyo State Judicial Panel granted the application and the petition was adjourned till May 5, 2021 for hearing to enable the petitioner amend his petition.
7. Case No. OYJPPB/057
Mrs Mosunmola Labinjo v The Nigeria Police Force, Housing Police Station, Bodija, Ibadan. The petitioner was present but was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, Mr M. A. maintained appearance on behalf of the respondent.
With this, the petitioner was invited to the witness stand and was sworn on the Bible. Her name is Mosunmola Labinjo. She lives at (redacted) Ibadan. She retired as a Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Odogbo.
She said that she lived with her son, Olumide Labinjo, who was working at a car wash located at Customs. She said her son had gone to buy cigarette when he was arrested by police officers who accused him of armed robbery. She said she was later told that her son had been taken to Housing Police Station, where he was later transferred to Babaganku. She said she narrated her ordeal to Prof. Kale who she was working with at the time her son was unlawfully arrested and detained. She said with this, Prof. Kale went to the police station to inform them that he knew Olumide and that he had helped him put on his generator earlier that day but his testimony was turned down.
She said that her son was later taken from Babaganku to SARS custody where he was detained, beaten, and tortured for more than one and a half months. She said the police officers had told her son to confess to the crime but he insisted that he knew nothing about the robbery.
She said because she was not financially buoyant, she was advised to inform the legal aid about her situation and she was attached to a lawyer, Mrs Ogunmakin who helped with the processes of getting her son out on bail. She said that she was told to pay for the bail and because she couldn’t pay at that point, her son was charged to court and was remanded in Agodi prison for three months. She said the incident which happened in 2009 led to the death of her son in March 2010, as she was told by medical personnel that her son had died due to severe beating which led to internal bleeding. She said her son died five months after he was released.
She prayed the panel to assist her financially because her son’s character was defamed and his life was cut short untimely.
At this point, she was crossed examined by the Oyo State Judicial Panel and the respondent’s counsel, Mr Ojeah. The panel told the petitioner to get her son’s death certificate from the population commission as this would be relevant to the petition.
With this, the Oyo State Judicial Panel adjourned the petition till May 18, 2021 for further hearing. The panel also directed Mr Ojeah to provide information about the IPO and the prosecutor in charge of the case, as at the time of the incident.
8. Case No. OYJPPB/066
Mr Jurgen Johnson v The Nigeria Police, SARS Dugbe. The petitioner was absent and was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by Mr M. A. Ojeah.
The petition last appeared on the 10th of March, 2021 and the Oyo State Judicial Panel had directed the petitioner to present the documents which are relevant to his case on the next adjourned date, however he was absent at the hearing.
Mr Ojeah, the respondent’s counsel said that he had been served with the processes of the petition but was yet to file a response.
The Oyo State Judicial Panel therefore adjourned the petition till May 5, 2021 for further hearing.
9. Case No. OYJPPB/069
Mr Kolawole Owoade v The Nigeria Police, SARS Dugbe. The petitioner was present and was represented by Diekola Rufai (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by Mr M. A. Ojeah.
The Oyo State Judicial Panel had adjourned the petition for further hearing to enable the respondent open a defence. However, the respondent’s counsel, Mr Ojeah said that he was unable to reach out to his witness because he was on a special assignment. He therefore prayed the panel for an adjournment to enable him present his witness as well as open and close his case.
With this, the Oyo State Judicial Panel adjourned the petition till April 21, 2021 for further hearing.
Having gone through the proceedings for today, the hearing was brought to a close at about 3:05pm.