Police arrest officers who killed suspected Lagos phone thieves

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested the four policemen who killed two suspected phone thieves in broad daylight in the Igando area of the state.

Police spokesman, Bala Elkana, said they would face murder charges.

A viral video had surfaced on the social media on Tuesday, showing the officers manhandling, and, later, ultimately, the suspects.

Elkana identified the policemen as Inspector Fabiyi Omomayara, Sergeant Olaniyi Solomon, Sergeant Solomon Sunday and Corporal Aliyu Mukaila; adding that they were attached to the Iba Police Division and not the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The men had been filmed shooting dead the suspects after they were arrested for allegedly robbing people who sold phones on Jiji, an online sales platform.

The Police said the action of the cops violated the code of conduct of the Force.

Elkana said, “The attention of the Lagos State Police Command was drawn to a video on social media showing some police officers shooting two unarmed suspects who were arrested and already in their custody, against the code of professional conduct and laws guiding how suspects in Police custody should be treated.

“The policemen were identified as Inspector Fabiyi Omomayara, Sergeant Olaniyi Solomon, Sergeant Solomon Sunday and Corporal Aliyu Mukaila, attached to Iba division patrol team.

“The incident happened on August 19, 2019 at about 3pm, when Iba Police Station received a distress call from one Anugu Valentine of Agege Motor Road, Mushin, that he was attacked by a group of armed men numbering about four on two motorcycles at Ipayi area, Iba, and they dispossessed him of one iPhone Max valued at N450,000.

“Acting on the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Iba, promptly deployed the divisional patrol team to the scene.

“Two of the armed robbers were arrested, while two escaped.

“Two locally-made pistols with six live cartridges and five expended cartridges were recovered.

“The gang is said to be notorious for a series of robberies in Iba and environs.

“It was a well celebrated operation by the team, as the suspects were gallantly arrested.

“The team, however, went extreme by killing the suspects who were already in their custody, instead of taking them to the Police Station and allowing the normal process of investigation and prosecution to be initiated as stipulated under procedural laws.

“That act of extra-judicial killings falls short of Police professional standards and cannot be condoned by the Command.”

Elkana added that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu, had ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

Elkana said the Police officers were being subjected to internal disciplinary proceedings, noting that if found culpable, they would be dismissed from the Force and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for prosecution.