The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested the policemen seen in a video assaulting a young lawyer said to be demanding for his salary.
A video tagged “SARS officers assault young lawyer allegedly demanding for his salary in Lagos” went viral on Wednesday.
An embarrassed Imohimi Edgal, the Lagos commissioner of police, subsequently constituted an investigation panel to look into the allegation.
A statement made available to Qed.ng on Thursday said “findings into the case revealed that the officers in the video were not SARS operatives as alleged but conventional policemen attached to Lion Building Police Station who were invited to the chambers of Olawore & Co of No 28/30 McCarthy Street, Lagos Island by the managing partner, Barrister Oluyomi Olawore.”
It added that Olawore had sent a distress call to the police through one of his junior partners, requesting that he be rescued from another junior partner, Olakunle Kareem, whom he alleged was about to use unlawful force on him having disconnected the firms’ CCTV cameras and locked up all doors leading into the firm and by so doing, held Olawore hostage inside his office.
“It was based on the complaint that the DPO in charge of Lion Building dispatched policemen to the troubled chamber to bring the feuding lawyers over for interrogation. However, the commissioner of police observed with dismay that the policemen sent to the scene were not at their professional best.
“The CP, therefore, ordered that the policemen who had been arrested, be tried on oath to determine their punishment, while also directing that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Lion Building be queried for lack of supervision,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, SCIID Panti Yaba has been directed to take over investigation of the case and critically look into the matter concerning the two lawyers with the view to diligently prosecute both or any one of them found wanting.
