At the Ongoing Lagos State Government 8-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution to investigate cases of police brutality in the state, A petitioner Jide Fowotade narrated how his teeth was extracted, legs damaged by two policemen attached to the Ketu Divisional headquarters under Area “H” Command, Lagos State.
The petitioner who made several attempts in 2017 to get Justice from the top plice hierarchy and the Lagos State mediation Centres was unsuccessful until he heard about the panel set up by Governor Babajide Sanwoolu to investigate police brutality that triggered endsars protests at the epicenter, Lagos.
Fowotade, who spoke at the Panel sitting monitored on Arise TV on Saturday, October 31, 2020 around noon said the brutality he suffered land him on the hospital bed, narrated he was dragged out of his car, while driving home on Saturday on Ikorodu Road by the two policemen on a motorcycle.
According to him, the policemen alleged that he almost rammed over them, an accusation, he said was a lie meant to extort him.
He said: “I was returning home from Ikorodu, where I had gone to pick up my wife from her shop. My ordeal started right under the pedestrian bridge at Ketu Bus Stop, on the Ikorodu Road.
A tricycle rider suddenly appeared from nowhere and almost rammed into my vehicle. I immediately slammed on my brake to save the situation.
“Behind me was a motorcycle with two policemen on it. My car did not have any contact with the motorcycle or with any of the policemen riding on it, but to my greatest surprise, the policemen jumped down. Before I knew what was happening, they started attacking me.
“One of them asked if I wanted to injure them? I tried to explain to them that it was a tricycle rider who drove dangerously in front of me and that in a bid to avoid running over the rider, I had to slam on my brake.
One of the policemen who I later identified as Ayo gave me head boot. Two of my front teeth fell off immediately. As if that was not enough, the policemen gave me the beatings of my life in the presence of my wife. I was later dragged into the police station where I was detained for hours,” he narrated.
The DPO of the division at the time who saw him in his pool of his blood took the victim to hospital and pay for medical treatment.
His testimony at the panel revealed that Fowotade’s still suffering from life threatening health challenges and trauma issues after spending over a ₦1Million on treatment he hoped to get Justice through the Panel.
The admitted his exhibits. Ruled against the Police defence counsel who moved against the admissible of some of his exhibits.
The veracity of his claims was further subjected to severe cross examinations. The defence counsel further seek for an adjournment to reconciled with their records.
The panel adjourned the case till November 10, 2020.