Eniola Olayemi
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, has recalled the Divisional Police Officer, Ijora-Badia Division, Daniel Odutona, from his duty post to the command’s headquarters to pave the way for an investigation into the alleged assault on a carpenter, Saheed Akinboye, by the DPO.
The investigation is to be conducted by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, Yetunde Longe.
Had reported that Akinboye accused Odutona of assaulting and fracturing his left hand and leg when he visited the station in company with Mr Rasak Balogun and Mrs Modupe Ojediran, on Monday, to recover six dozens of chairs seized by police operatives a day earlier.
The chairs were said to have been seized during a raid by the police following a clash by suspected cultists in the Ijora-Baida area of the state.
It was also reported that the clash resulted in the death of a suspected cult member, simply identified as Tansho.
Akinboye, who runs a rental outfit as a side business, was said to be packing the chairs he had rented out to Balogun for a ceremony to mark his daughter’s end of apprenticeship in tailoring, when the policemen confiscated them.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, CSP Chike Oti, said in a statement, on Thursday, that Imohimi, ordered an investigation into the case and gave the DCP, SCID, Panti, Yaba, a week to submit the report of her findings.
He added that a query had also been issued to Odutona regarding the alleged assault, adding that the DPO had been recalled to the command’s headquarters, while the second-in-command at the Ijora-Badia Division had been instructed to oversee the affairs of the division.
Oti stated, “Following The reporter’s publication of Thursday, January 24, 2019, on pages 4 and 5, with the headline: ‘Power-drunk DPO breaks Lagos carpenter’s hand, leg’, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Edgal Imohimi, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, to investigate the matter and submit the report of her findings within one week.
“In the same vein, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration was directed to issue the DPO a query to explain his actions regarding the incident.
“Meanwhile, the concerned officer, CSP Daniel Odutona, has been temporarily recalled to the Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, while his second-in-command is to oversee the affairs of the Ijora-Badia Division pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The PPRO added that Imohimi urged the victim and all witnesses to report to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, in order to aid the investigation.
