A journalist working for Security Monitor News, an online news outlet, Kayode Adeyemo, says he is currently fighting to save his left hand after being attacked by at least seven hoodlums at Odo Eran Bus Stop in the Ikotun area of Lagos State.
TheNigerian Metro learnt from the victim on Sunday that the incident occurred on Saturday when a commercial motorcycle carrying him to an assignment was allegedly forcefully stopped by the hoodlums.
While attempting to resolve the dispute, Adeyemo said he was attacked by the thugs, leaving him with a fractured left hand and causing him to lose his mobile phone during the assault.
Adeyemo said, “I was brutally attacked by a group of touts and some meat sellers at the Odo Eran Bus Stop in Lagos. My left hand was fractured, and my mobile phone was lost during the assault.
“What happened was that one of the hoodlums stopped the commercial motorcyclist who was taking me to an assignment. As I tried to intervene and prevent the situation from escalating, they turned on me, attacking me with planks and whatever weapons they could find.
“I tried to flee for my life, but they chased me down and injured my left hand. My Nokia phone also went missing during the attack.”
After managing to escape the hoodlums’ assault, the victim accused the policemen at the Ikotun Division of demanding N20,000 to arrest the suspects.
“I paid the N1,000 demanded, but the IPO himself insisted that I should pay N20,000 before they could go and arrest the suspects. In fact, he yelled at me, saying, ‘That’s how you people always get involved in matters that don’t concern you.’
“However, as soon as they realised I was about to meet with the DPO, they started running in all directions. This prompted the officer at the front desk to alert the DCO, who quickly instructed an IPO to handle the matter. The IPO then demanded that I pay N20,000.”
When contacted on Sunday, the Ikotun Divisional Police Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police Waheed Oni, stated that the matter had not been brought to his attention for proper handling.
“I was not aware of the incident. I was at an event where items were being distributed to the less privileged for Christmas. We didn’t want a stampede to occur, like the one in Ibadan.
“However, my number is posted everywhere in the police station. If you go there, you’ll see it on the wall. Why didn’t he call my number when the incident occurred? Even if some of my men upset him after reporting the attack, he should have contacted me. I am accessible 24/7,” Oni told our correspondent on Sunday.
In response to our correspondent’s inquiry on Sunday, the spokesperson for the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, urged the victim to report the incident to the DPO or any other publicized channels for prompt and decisive action.
“Our preliminary investigation does not show any record of such. The complainant is advised to contact the DPO or CRU through our widely circulated numbers for appropriate action,” Hundeyin suggested.
