Lawyer Zainab Abiola on Friday said she did not attack her female police orderly, Inspector Teju Moses, who appeared with a bloody face in a viral video.
The Inspector general of police Usman Baba had said Abiola, who also describes herself as a rights activist, assaulted her orderly because the latter refused to do menial jobs.
The IGP ordered the prosecution of Abiola, a widow of the late politician Moshood Abiola, and one of her domestic workers, adding that another suspect was at large.
However, in a statement issued on her behalf by the Afro-European Lawyers League, the Abuja-based lawyer said the IGP trampled on her fundamental rights by forcefully taking pictures of her and publishing same.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a fallacious malicious defamatory publication against our respected Alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Security Studies, NIPPS, Professor Zainab Duke Mni alleging assault on one of Her police Orderlies. We categorically state that this is not true and Nothing could be further from the truth. For the records our respected revered Professor Zainab has Never assaulted anybody anywhere at any time. It is not in her character.
“That on the 20th of April 2022 the IGP approved the revalidation and deployment of police orderlies to our leader based on the fact that she is the Chief Legal Consultant to the Nigerian Police and has her office at the Force headquarters, Abuja.
“That the police consequently assigned a female police officer who was among the perpetrators of Violence against innocent Nigerian Citizens during the ENDSARS imbroglio.
“That consequent upon discovery of her Orderly’s involvement in police brutality against Nigerians that Professor Zainab rejected the posting of a brutal officer and returned the said Orderly back to Force Headquarters to her bosses and told her Bye bye on the 19th of September.
“That to our surprise around 10pm the former Orderly returned with a Vengeance banging on our gates with some dangerous weapons including a gun threatening to kill everybody in the compound and that the police Orderly beat up family members of the Professor’s household.
“That as can be seen in the video a crowd soon gathered and there was street brawling crowd fighting and loss of properties.
“That it is very strange that the IGP will forcefully, brutally and illegally violate the fundamental Rights and liberties of a distinguished law- abiding citizen and proceed to forcefully take her pictures and maliciously publish same in the print and electronic media in this nascent democratic dispensation.”
