By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The family of the late politician and businessman, MKO Abiola, has denied involvement in the fundamental rights suit allegedly filed by Mr. Kazeem Abiola and Mr. Aliu Abiola on Friday, September 11, 2020, challenging their arrest and detention by the police over the robbery incident in the Abiola home.
The Abiola family faulted a statement captioned, “Robbery incident: Abiola’s sons sue Lagos State Commissioner of police over detention by SARS,” stating that it was worried by the publication, which it said did not reflect the real truth.
“The family had meticulously, painstakingly and carefully perused the said publications and are completely taken aback by the unsavoury, untruth, careless and malicious innuendos raised in the said online publications,” it stated via its lawyer, Adeleke G.A.
Besides, the family pleaded with the public particularly the media to be wary and cautious of any publication regarding the late Chief MKO Abiola’s family so as not to dishonour and disrespect the memory of the late sage.
“Having gone through the said publications, the family has decided to present the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth regarding the unfortunate armed robbery incident that occurred at late MKO Abiola’s residence.”
The family narrates:
On September 2, 2020 at about 6:00 a.m., some hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers broke into the residence of late Chief MKO Abiola. The criminals broke into the bedroom of late MKO Abiola’s wife, in person of Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola and carted away valuables running into millions of naira.
The victim, Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola and her daughter were subsequently locked up in her room with a threat by the armed robbers that she and her daughter will be eliminated if they raise an alarm.
As expected, Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola was so petrified, bemused and stupefied by the unfortunate armed robbery incident that she could not raise an alarm even after the robbers had escaped with their loots running into millions of naira. Mrs. Abiola was eventually freed by other members of the family who had apparently called the police upon which she and her daughter and other members of the family were interviewed by the police led by the indefatigable and dutiful Lagos State Commissioner of Police in person of Mr. Hakeem Odumosu.
It is on record that while the police men were interviewing the family members, Mr. Kassim Abiola conducted himself in a very rude, ungentlemanly, provocative, embarrassing and suspicious manner and all efforts by other members of the family to make him act in a responsible manner failed. It is further on record that Mr. Kassim Abiola did not only throw tantrums at the police but equally threatened to deal ruthlessly with one of the Senior police officers whom he (Kassim) claimed to know personally to the extent of describing the said senior police officer’s car and the location where he will deal with him.
These unguarded vituperations and violent conducts by Mr. Kassim infuriated the police and he was subsequently invited for further interrogation for demanding for the reason for the presence of the police men in his father’s house. lt is equally noteworthy to mention here that his junior brother, AIiu Abiola, joined him in his tirade of abuse against the police men who were only trying to interview them and all other persons at the residence with a view to investigating the crime. The police subsequently arrested Mr. Kassim Abiola, Mr. Aliu Abiola and seven others for further questioning regarding the investigation of the robbery incident which the police suspected to have been carried out through the active connivance of a member of the family or staff considering the ease with which such an ugly armed robbery incident was carried out. Thus, it is highly inconceivable, preposterous, ridiculous, absurd and malicious to claim that Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola was instrumental to the arrest of Kassim and Aliu Abiola simply because they are her “step sons”.
As at the time of the incident and during the interview, Chief Mrs. Abiola and her daughter who are the victims of the crime were visibly disoriented, petrified and disillusioned. The duo was completely oblivious of the identity and numerical strength of the people invited by the Nigeria police from the late Abiola’s household as at the time of arrest.
It is a fact which is equally known to some members of the family that as soon as Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola became aware of the arrest of her step sons and one Mr. Popoola who has been a loyal, tested and trusted personal staff of well over twenty (20) years, she started making frantic efforts for them to be admitted into administrative bail by the Nigeria police but the police insisted to be allowed to investigate the crime and not interfere in their investigation.
To corroborate the above assertion, Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola contacted the family lawyer in person of Barrister Debo Adeleke, a human rights lawyer, and the Principal Partner of MCI Law Chambers to liaise with the Nigeria police to facilitate the release of her two step sons and her personal staff. Consequent upon the above, Barrister Debo Adeleke discussed with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police who understandably consented to release them and efforts to release and admit the three men into an administrative bail were concluded on Friday, September 11, 2020.
However, to the family’s chagrin and constatation, while one of the lawyers in Barr. Debo Adeleke’s chambers in company of Engr. Rahmon Abiola, a younger brother to late Chief MKO Abiola who is also the family secretary of the Abiola family were making final efforts to perfect the bail of the trio i.e. Kassim and Aliu Abiola and Mr. Popoola, a lawyer from the law firm of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN in company of a woman stormed the Lagos State Police Command and informed the police of the suit filed in court for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of Messrs. Kassim and Aliu Abiola.
Consequent upon the above, the police could not go ahead with the planned release of the three men as earlier scheduled for Friday, 11th September, 2024.
This unfortunate turn of event angered Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola and other members of the family and they were thoroughly embarrassed. Although Kassim and Aliu Abiola have inalienable and constitution rights for the enforcement of their rights and fight for freedom but before a third party could embark on such an exercise, such an action ought to have been brought to the notice and attention of other members of the family who were making frantic efforts to get them released on bail.
Now that Mr. Kassim and Aliu Abiola’s fundamental rights suits have been adjourned till the 15th October, 2O2O a period of over 30 days, all efforts by the family especially Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola and the family lawyer in company of the family secretary have been thwarted.
In the words of our elders “the shortest way home is not always the quickest”.
However, despite the wrong and ill-advised move by a third party who is not a known member of the family in filing a fundamental right enforcement suit for the release of Kassim and Aliu Abiola, the family and in particular Chief Mrs. Adebisi Abiola through her lawyer in person of Barr. Debo Adeleke will continue unabated to seek for the release of Mr. Kassim and Aliu Abiola from the police by admitting them to administrative bail pending investigation.
