Telecom vandalism dispute: FCID Alagbon operatives accused of storming pregnant woman’s bedroom
By Ishaya Ibrahim
A pregnant woman, Mrs Ogechi Juliet Chika, wife of businessman Chika Onwa Odo, has accused operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Division (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos, of dehumanising her during a raid on her home in search of her husband.
According to Mrs Chika, the operatives stormed her apartment while she was not properly dressed and insisted that she follow them to the police station. She said her appeal to be allowed to put on her clothes privately was initially ignored until one of the officers intervened.
She alleged that the officers only turned their backs while she hurriedly dressed before taking her to the station.
The incident reportedly occurred in connection with an investigation involving her husband, a businessman who deals in batteries, solar panels and other appliances. He was accused of vandalising and stealing telecommunications infrastructure, an allegation he denies.
Mrs Chika said the operatives asked for her husband when they arrived at the house, but she told them he was away on a trip. She said that the officers subsequently took her to the station.
At the FCID Alagbon, she reportedly discovered that a business adversary of her husband was behind the case against her husband.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to intervene in the investigation and establish whether there is credible evidence linking Chika and other detained persons to the alleged vandalisation and theft of telecommunications equipment.
In a letter to the IGP, RULAAC Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, also asked the police to determine whether the goods and other property seized from the suspects are connected to the alleged offences.
RULAAC said that where credible evidence exists, the investigation should proceed professionally and in accordance with the law. However, where no such evidence exists, it urged the police to release the detainees and return property for which there is no lawful basis for continued seizure.
The organisation also expressed concern that the investigation could become punitive or retaliatory following complaints it had raised about the conduct of some of the officers involved.
According to RULAAC, its complaints included alleged irregularities in the arrests, seizure of property, alleged interference with CCTV equipment and the public parade of suspects.
The group urged the police not to charge anyone merely to justify an arrest, prolong detention, retain seized property or retaliate against complaints about police conduct.
“Any decision to prosecute should arise solely from credible evidence establishing a reasonable connection between the individual and a specific offence,” Nwanguma said.
RULAAC stressed that it was not seeking to shield anyone against whom credible evidence exists from investigation or prosecution, but was calling for an impartial, evidence-led process that separates the underlying criminal allegations from complaints against the investigating officers.
“Given the conflicting accounts and the seriousness of the allegations on both sides,” the organisation urged the IGP to order an objective review to establish what evidence exists, whom it implicates and which of the seized items are demonstrably connected to the alleged offence.
It further called for the release of anyone against whom there is no credible evidence and the return of property for which there is no lawful evidential basis for continued seizure.
