The Shomolu Okuseinde family of Ibasha Araromi, Ajegunle town, Ogun State, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, over an alleged threat to lives and the unlawful detention of seven members of their family and workers by men of the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit.
In a petition signed on behalf of the family by one of their solicitors, Barrister R.I Udeozo, the family accused the IG Monitoring Unit, Abuja, of conspiring with a group led by one Aremu Yeku, Alhaji Nojeem Magaji and others to intimidate, arrest and forcefully take over their family’s ancestral land.
The family said that it had earlier written a petition through its leading counsel, Barrister Olusegun Raji, to the Inspector General of Police over threat to lives of notable members of the Shomolu Okuseinde family, which included Mr Mutiu Adeyemi Okuseinde, Mr Sunday Tekobo Okuseinde, Mr Osho Odeneye Shomolu Okuseinde and others by a group led by one Nojeem Mogaji, Olumide Ajayi, Chief Oladayo Shyllon, Chief Abdulwaheed Salaudeen a.k.a Oluwo, Chief Aremu Yeku, Chief Adekunle Alao Mustapha, Alhaji Aremu Shogunle, Chief Olalekan Shodipo, Chief Kotoye Jimoh Okanlawon, Mr Kehinde Kotoye, Mr Gafar Toriola Yeku and others.
In the said petition dated September 10, 2020, the family urged the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to investigate the alleged criminal activities of Aremu Yeku and others who are not members of the Shomolu Okuseinde family but allegedly claiming to be Shomolu Okuseinde family.
The family also said those accused used armed thugs to forcefully took over the Shomolu Okuseinde family’s ancestral land which was won from the high court to the supreme Court on behalf of the said family in a representative capacity.
According to the family, the petition was approved and was assigned to the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Federal Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Area 10, Garki, Abuja, for investigation and that the investigation had been slowed down by some top police officers due to the alleged influence and connections of Mr Nojeem Mogaji and Alhaji Abdul Waheed Salaudeen.
Speaking further, the family alleged that the people they accused of trying to fraudulently take over their family land secretly wrote a counter petition to the office of the Inspector General of Police in 2021 and was assigned to the IG Monitoring Unit for investigation.
The family added that the attempt was made in order to thwart the ongoing investigation by the Federal Intelligent Bureau (FIB) that has been investigating the matter since 2020 and that the office had even written letters of invitation to those accused, on three occasions and who have refused to honour the police invitations.
The family also claimed that although the IG Monitoring Unit was already aware that the Federal Intelligence Bureau (FIB) had already commenced an investigation into the case, it hurriedly assigned one Inspector Ameh James and Sergeant Adah Shedrack to come to Ibasha Araromi Ajegunle Town, Ogun State, and effect the arrest of ten members of the Shomolu Okuseinde family and their workers, who were detained at Ibafo Police Station and Ogun State Police Command cells for seven days.
Speaking further, the family said that it took the intervention of the Federal Intelligence Bureau (FIB) before they were later released.
The family also accused the IG Monitoring Unit under the control of ACP A.A Eleman of staging another unlawful arrest of seven members and workers of the Shomolu Okuseinde family on February 22, 2021, and were subsequently detained at Ibafo Police Station for one week in an operation led by Inspector Ameh James and Sergeant Adah Shedrack.
It was also alleged that the men were later whisked to various police stations in Abuja, where they were detained for another eight (8) days at both Mabushi and Asokoro police stations, and when the pressure was too much, the alleged police officers secretly whisked the seven arrested people back to the Ogun State Police Command by road.
According to the family, they were further detained for another week, making the innocent seven (7) people spend nineteen (19) days in police detention before they were hurriedly arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court 1, Owode Egba on the 11th day of March, 2021.
“Since their arrest on February 22, 2021, they have been remanded at the Oba Correctional Centre, Abeokuta, for another 7 days on frivolous charges that were never investigated. It is also instructive to note that to intimidate the original property owners, their family lawyer, Barrister Olusegun Raji was even arrested and arraigned before the Magistrate Court 2 Mowe and Chief Magistrate Court 1 Owode Egba, with the lawyer handcuffed in his two hands for doing his legal duties as a practising lawyer.”
“We are also using this medium to plead with both the Inspector General Of Police and the Deputy Inspector General Of Police in charge of the Federal Intelligence Bureau, whose office is the recognised highest investigating section of the Nigeria Police, to urgently swing into action in respect of the petition dated 10th day of September 2020, pending in their office.”
“This will prevent loss of life and wanton destruction of properties. Moreso, those alleged and their sponsors are already boasting that nothing will happen to them and their clients as far as the FIB Department is concerned.”
