[size=13pt]Policemen beat driver, set his bus ablaze[/size]

The popular cliché of the Nigeria Police Force; ‘Police is your friend,’ does not seem to affect Taiwo Alabi, a 25 year-old commercial bus driver, whose newly acquired 24-seater bus was allegedly set ablaze by policemen in Lagos State.


Alabi said the bus with the number plate, LAGOS XX 255 EKV was burnt because he refused to give bribe to policemen attached to the Alapere Police Divisional Headquarters in the state. Now, Alabi is jobless with no hope of getting justice, while his creditors are on his neck to pay up because he bought the vehicle on hire purchase.


Narrating his ordeal in tears, Alabi told PUNCH METRO that on May, 25, 2011; the vehicle developed a fault on the Third Mainland Bridge and he had to tow it to his mechanic workshop. He said it was while he was on the way to his destination that he met the policemen, who ruined his life.


He said, “I was on my way to Ketu with passengers when the bus developed fault. After getting all the passengers into another bus, a good Samaritan driving a truck, who saw me pushing the bus parked on the side of the road and offered to help me to tow my bus since he was going my way.


“Due to heavy traffic on the expressway, we passed through Alapere estate which was an alternative route. As soon as we were a few metres away from the Alapere police station, a man in mufti flagged us down.


“He said he was a policeman attached to the station and demanded for our vehicle document. I gave it to him and afterwards, he demanded that we present a permit for towing the vehicle.”


Alabi said that the Good Samaritan took exception to the policeman’s latest request and accused the policeman of being mischievous.


“The policeman in response, threatened to lock us up for arguing with him. After much argument, he said that I should pay N10, 000 or he would not release the bus. In anger, the man disconnected the chains he used in towing my vehicle and drove off, leaving my conductor and me at the mercy of the cop,” he said.


Alabi said that the policeman later got angry and started beating him up.


“He then beckoned on one other policeman around the scene. They pounced on us and subsequently seized my phone as well as N15, 000 which I had in my pocket.


“While they were beating me, one woman who sells bread near the station started shouting, ‘Corporal Kola, do you want to kill him’ that was how I knew his name.”


Alabi told PUNCH METRO that during his ordeal, he saw another policeman who was in uniform and beckoned to him for help. He added that the policeman took sides with his colleagues.


He said, “The newcomer even kicked me in the stomach and said if I did not co-operate with them, he would personally lock me up.


“The policeman got into the bus and asked the other two policemen to push my bus into the police station so that I would come back the following day to pay extra money. While they were pushing the bus, I think the stub of the cigarette which he was smoking, accidentally fell on the fuel pump and the bus caught fire.”


Alabi added that immediately the bus caught fire, the three policemen ran into the station, leaving the bus to burn beyond repair.


“The next day, May 26, I went to Alapere to report the incident to the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Odion Okosun, a Superintendent of Police. After narrating my ordeal, Okosun met with his men and was able to establish that I was telling the truth. He told me to come back later so we could discuss further and I agreed.


“Unfortunately, after that day, it was impossible for me to see him as I was always told by the policemen in the station that the DPO was not around.”


Alabi said 10 days after the meeting, he finally got to see the DPO and when he presented the case again, the DPO threatened to lock him up if he ever set foot in the Police station again.


“I bought that bus on hire purchase. I only acquired the bus three weeks before the incident. I have paid only N200, 000 and I still have about N1.3m to balance.


“In fact, the N15, 000 which was stolen from me by policemen was part of the money I had planned on depositing in the account of my creditor because the agreement was that I pay the seller back in instalments. I don’t have any other job and I have an aged mother who I’m taking care of,” Alabi told PUNCH METRO.


Reacting to the allegations, Okosun said Alabi’s vehicle was not burnt by the policemen. He said it got burnt due to overheating.


Okosun said, “In a statement dictated by Alabi and written by policemen because of his inability to read and write, Alabi actually claimed that the vehicle got burnt while he was driving the vehicle as the vehicle was overheating. I don’t know why he would be changing his statement now and making false accusations.”


He said it was not true that he threatened to arrest Alabi.


“Why would I threaten to arrest him? The first time he came to the station, I received him well. Why then would I suddenly change my attitude towards him?” he said.


The spokesman for the state Police Command, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, however, declined comment.


However when our correspondent visited Alapere, the majority of those who spoke with him on condition of anonymity, because of perceived reprisal by the policemen, said although the policemen did not plan to burn Alabi’s bus; it caught fire while it was in their hands.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201108191554032

The Nigerian Police is one of the Highest Security Threat in Nigeria. What an Irony.

Golden Rule: Do whatever it takes to avoid having anything to do with police, not even as personal friend. It is a pity.

This is very sad, it seems there is no way to really correct the huge lapses in our police force.

The police force needs a total overhaul. While use illiterates as policemen when thousand of youths graduating from the university are jobless.

The IG must call his men to order. The problem with our Police starts from the flawed recruitment process where recruits are made to pay bribes or submit letters from prominent Nigerians and the first thing that comes to their mind is how to recover the amount spent on bribing their way in.
The matter should be taken to court and the policemen involved made to pay for the damage.

Hang on a minute!Who are these policemen?Are they not Nigerians or are they some extra terrestrial beings?These just goes to show the state of mind of the average Nigerian,& we wonder why we're not making any head way.

dont forget police is your /friend/foe/.to blaze and to loot OR to serve and to protect

Nigeria Police Farce? Bunch of mis-fits on uniform.

Nigeria POLICE are BAD, While DANFO too are WORST Because of their Habit; e.g: Uturn  on HIGH WAY, use buses to operate 1CHANCE , and NO customer service:

chai nigerian police are so wicked,what a sad story

if only our police men can handle armed robbers and kidnappers the same way they handled TAIWO ALABI, mikel's father will nt be missin today. I rather die in poverty than hav myself associated with a group of buffons!

I am not an anarchist but i think that it will be nice if this guy can get about 20 - 30 people to march into that police station and BEAT THE HELL OUT OF ALL THE POLICEMEN THEY FIND INSIDE THERE.

This should happen simultaneously in about 10 other stations around Lagos. Just beat the policemen well and leave. Surprise them so that they wont have access to their guns.

Maybe if people start 'taking the law' into their own hands, the police will learn a lesson.

Nigerian police!
I no fit sout

But wait, didn't our Presi Oloye, offered the UK government their service in curtailing the riots over there?

o.p, if you know the victim, just tell him to approach the office of public defender in lagos state.it may take some time but the money that will come will be X100

The worst of all is that they are well shielded by their superiors who are professional liars,

Well, they Lagos state police should not only replace this guys bus, but they need to compensate him for lost wages and physical abuse suffered! Where is  accountability in this country for God's sake??

Seriously, i just read the whole story in its entirety now, people need to take up arms and go burn down that police station itself. What is Fashola doing about police extortion and brutality in Lagos This is messed up. They are there to protect us and not to extort and make innocent civilaian's lives miserable. Document for towing what the heck is that If he was able to show ownership of the vehicle, what the hell do u need certificate for towing for? Awon ole jati jati, oloriburuku, may that corporal Kola rot in hell. Imbeciles!

Nigeria police sha, how can the bus be burnt due to overheating, a bus that was been towed after developing fault.
its high time we start killing those police, z

engineerd:

Well, they Lagos state police should not only replace this guys bus, but they need to compensate him for lost wages and physical abuse suffered! Where is  accountability in this country for God's sake??

The Police must  replace the guys bus, because the bus got burnt  while the  Police-Man was inside .

How can the bus overheat when it is not working.

Lots of replies but just one that remotely presents a solution to the dude's problem.

careytommy:

o.p, if you know the victim, just tell him to approach the [b]office of public defender in lagos state.[/b]it may take some time but the money that will come will be X100

Co signed.

Sad what we encounter daily in the hands of those cursed men in black.

In an enlightened society, the Inspector General of Police would call for a thorough investigation of this matter but he is incomprehensively incompetent. Most policemen in Nigeria are into armed robbery. God bless Nigeria.

Are they not typical boko haram? How would you define terrorism and then you exonerate the Nigerian Police. Very ridiculous when you send terrorists to tackle terrorists.

What baffles me about these guys (men of the NPF), is that they are Nigerians (flesh and blood) like any other Nigerian. But once they join the 'force', they turn monster. Do they make monsters there?

Typically is a friend of mind who was recruited to the 'force' years ago, this guy was coolheaded/levelheaded and well mannered. In fact, he was an inspiration and mentor, but since he was inducted, he turned a monster and I blacklisted him on my list of friends. He is just an acquaintance now.

[size=28pt]TO BE CANDID NIGERIA POLICE FARCE NEEDS TO BE DISSOLVED ASAP!![/size]

the owner of the bus should just go to" AMADIOHA" with the police man`s name and AMADIOHA will take care of the police man, shikena!

i never new 9ja had policemen