Female Police Officer Brutalizes Lawyer, Manhandles NBA Ilorin Branch Chair

The spate of police harassment of lawyers across the country, especially in most cases where the lawyers were simply carrying out their professional work and discharging their professional responsibility to their clients is now becoming more than alarming. The trend at harassing, molesting, detaining and sometimes brutalizing our lawyers by the police is now a growing trend in the country. An Ilorin based lawyer, Lukman O. Bello, on Tuesday was allegedly brutalized mercilessly by the Nigerian police in Ilorin, kwara state capital. According to the report, Lukman O. Bello was beaten up in the course of performing his lawful responsibility of trying to secure the release of his client at the police station. TheNigerialawyer (TNL) in verifying the alleged brutality by the police contacted the chairman of the Ilorin branch of NBA, Mai Akande, who confirmed that the report is true. The branch chairman, Mr. Akande who narrated the incident of what happened yesterday to TheNigerialawyer (TNL) said he left NBA House within the High Court premises to collect his clothes at laundry shop around 5.30pm on Tuesday. “The laundry shop is a 2 storey building with some law firms at the 1st and 2nd floors. Immediately these young lawyers saw me, they rushed down to inform me about the arrest and detention of a lawyer who is well known to me. So I collected my clothes and went to the A Division Police Barack Ilorin. “It was there that I realised that the matter happened at the Police Training School within the barack. I met some of our colleagues there arguing with the police. I told them to stop it and they obeyed. “I introduced myself to a man being addressed as “Headmaster”, and told him about my mission. He took me to his office and told me that the lawyer was unruly. “Ma, it was a minor issue on the proprietary or otherwise of a lawyer passing through a gate. He said the lawyer was detained because he was rude and I asked to let me see him. “I was surprised when the young man (lawyer) was brought out. He was in his boxer, and a singlet with contour on his head and very dirty. “I was sad and asked why a Nigerian should be treated like this. Immediately I arose from my seat and was about to take my leave, Dr. Adua Mustapha (a senior lecturer) that came in with me stylishly took his (young lawyer) picture but he was caught, so that was how we were blocked from moving out. They pulled my tie and almost strangled me. “A police woman with the name tag ADEYEMI MULIKAT was the one that locked the lawyer in the cell. Because I called her name, she came pulling my tie and threatened that she ‘ll deal with me. “We managed to get outside and we were surrounded and being beaten. A senior police officer (whom I later knew to be the commandant) was initially abusing us but when I introduced myself, he ordered them to stop beating us and took us to his office. “When we told him what happened, he also ordered them to produce the detained lawyer and immediately he saw him he became furious and queried why someone can be treated like this. ‘He (superior officer) asked the detained lawyer who did this to him and he pointed at a man in Ankara cloth. He immediately ordered his arrest and detention. “While this was ongoing, many of our colleagues came in and the place became rowdy. So I ordered all lawyers there to leave with me, and that was how we left. “Yes ma, after we left, he was released and so he joined us in the office. “The Commissioner of Police later called me and pleaded that I see him tomorrow (today). “Press men also called while some came to our office. This is the 4th time lawyers will be arrested, detained and brutalized by the police with less than 4 months of my tenure.” The chairman also confirmed the photo of the police lady displayed on Facebook.]]>