A Lagos-based Lawyer, Aiyewunmi Remilekun, has petitioned the Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC) and  the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), over alleged unlawful and illegal dismissal of three policemen attached to Igbeba Police Division of Ogun State Police Command for  allegedly extorting one Akala Oluwatobi of the sum of N50, 000.

Police authority had  sometimes in June  this year dismissed four policemen from Ijebu-Ode Command, namely: Mufutau Olaosun, an Inspector; Adebayo Temitope, a sergeant, and Adesoye Ayokunlehi and Bakare Taiwo both  corporal, for allegedly extorting one Akala Oluwatobi of the sum of N50, 000.

But three of the four dismissed officers, namely: Inspector Mufutau Ilaosun with force Number: 122800, Adesoye Ayokunlehi, Temitope Adebayo, with force Numbers are: 455554 and 455593, petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) through their lawyer describing their dismissal as illegal and unlawful.

The lawyer in a petition dated August 27, 2017,  titled,”unlawful and Illegal Dismissal of Mufutau Olaosun AP/No:122800: Adesoye Ayokunlehi F/No. 455554, Temitope Adebayo F/No. 455593. A preaction notice pursuant to section 6(1) of the Police Service Commission Act and Complaint of intimidation, harassment, political manoeuvering of orderly room proceedings and conducts unbecoming of Police officer against ACP Funsho Ajao (Area Commander Ijebu-Ode), ACP Abayomi Shogunle (Officer-in-Charge of Public Complaint and Rapid Response Unit), and Adedoyin Adeola (orderly room adjudicating officer)”.

While presenting  facts of the case that led to the dismissal of the three policemen, the lawyer stated that sometimes in June 2017, information was lodged at the Area Commander’s office, Igbeba, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, that some boys numbering 10 were conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of Public peace at Molupa.

And upon this information, the three Cops and one other were drafted to the area to prevent breakdown of law and order and for possible arrest, which the affected officers immediately booked at the charge room before leaving for the area.

The lawyer also stated that on getting to the area, the affected policemen were able to arrest two of the boys while others ran away on sighting them. And that one of the boys when asked to identify himself but could not give satisfactory explanation, upon which they officers became suspicious and the boy was taken to their office for interrogation and investigation.

Lawyer to the dismissed policemen  stated that when his clients conducted a search on the arrested boy named Akala Oluwatobi, the sum of N50, 000, was recovered from him, but could not give satisfactory account of the money, adding that when the money was recovered it was registered with the Exhibit keeper in Register 084/2017, of June 6, 2017, and a case file was opened and that statement of the arrested boy was taken.

He also stated that instead of the arrested boy to present himself the next day with his father whom he claimed to be his boss as directed by the policemen, he opted to call Police Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), and that the Officer-in-Charge of the Unit directed the DPO of Igbeba Police Division to investigate the matter and report.

He further stated that the DPO’s report exonerated his clients, but this did not go down well with the Area Commander, who directed that his clients be tried in an orderly room and further conspired with others named above to altered the proceedings and the judgement of the investigation and the orderly room trial.

He stated that it is also surprising that the testimony of Akala Oluwatobi and the document tendered, particularly, his statement, bail bond, an undertaken written by the arrested boy that support the innocence of his clients were intentionally concealed and waved aside. This, he claimed showed the height of bias and prejudice to the dismissed policemen by  ACP Funsho Ajao, ACP Abayomi Shogunle and Adeola Adedoyin, which he said resulted in the  purported dismissal of his clients.

He also claimed that his clients were not given fair hearing as no memorandum of appearance was issued to them before their trial and they were also denied the right of Appeal.

The act he also claimed to be in contravention of 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which guarantee the right to fair  hearing, and the Police Act and regulation.

Consequently, in the view of the above stated fact, the lawyer demands immediate retraction of the police wireless message DTO: 291121/06/2017, the publication purporting to dismiss of his clients from this Nigerian Police Force.

He also demanded for their immediate reinstatement to their position without any loss of Rank, status and remuneration, with a letter of apology to each of them.

He also  threatened to institute  legal action, if their demands were not met within a justifiable time.