He stated that the policemen, who arrested and tortured him and other victims on August 28, had raided their area, Atunise Street, Isheri-Olowora.
He said the policemen, numbered about six, shot sporadically into the air and threatened to gun them down.
Alabi added that they were later thrown into a cell in the command till the following day and were released after paying N20,000 bribe.
The geophysicist explained that trouble started around 8pm on the fateful Friday after he sent his brother-in-law to buy foodstuffs for the family’s breakfast the following day.Alabi said he decided to send him on the errand because the following day, being the Saturday earmarked for environmental sanitation in the state, shops would not open till 10am after the exercise.
Our correspondent gathered that the cops, who were busy arresting passersby, nabbed Wale, who quickly sent a text to Alabi, informing him of his arrest.
Alabi said he dashed out to the scene, but the policemen ordered him to join Wale, who had been forced to sit on the floor.
He said his brother, Tope, and his sister, Gbemi, also came to the scene when he did not return home, adding that they were also arrested.
He said, “That day ─ August 28 ─ my wife, Wale, Tope and Gbemi were in the living room when I remembered that the following day was going to be an environmental sanitation day. I sent Wale to buy bread, noodles and eggs outside. No sooner had he left than I received a text message from him that he had been arrested.
“I told others about the message and I went to the place to see what I could do. On getting to the scene of the arrest, I tried to identify my brother-in-law, but the policemen descended on me and slapped me many times.
“Shortly after, my brother and my sister came looking for me; they were also arrested. They later allowed my sister to go, but ordered Wale, Tope and I into a Black Maria and took us to the Isheri Police Station, saying we were criminals. About 32 others were also arrested that day.
“My wife, a friend and the landlord came to the station to bail us, but they were not allowed in.
“Afterwards, they took to the police command headquarters in Ikeja. When we got to Ikeja, I saw one of them holding a gun and a bottle of gin. They threatened to shoot us.”
Recounting the dehumanising conditions to which he and his family members were subjected to by the police, Alabi urged the police authorities to investigate the case and discipline policemen found wanting.
He said, “We were about 58 in that cell and the toilet smelled so bad that I could not sleep till the following day. My wife, friends and the landlord association came to bail us on Saturday evening after we paid the policemen N20,000. One man, Ode, is the Investigating Police Officer.
“One of the reasons I decided to speak out on this matter is that they may implicate us in future because they took our photographs even though we did not commit any offence. Those policemen should be fished out and disciplined.”
Tope told PUNCH Metro that the policemen could not state the offence they committed.
He said, “At the police command, a lawyer friend asked what our offence was, but they could not say anything. The psychological effect was even more than the assault because I never thought I would sleep inside the cell that night.”
Our correspondent was told that Wale had travelled when he visited the residence on Tuesday. Calls put across to his line indicated it was switched off.
A member of the landlord association in the community, who identified himself only as Jegede, said the policemen did not apply wisdom on the day.
He said, “The way the policemen treated the family was totally demeaning. They even went as far as collecting N20,000 before they were released. We are not saying the police should not raid, but they need to be meticulous so that innocent people are not paraded as criminals.”
The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Patricia Amadin, said she had been trying to identify Ode, the IPO, to verify the incident and promised to get back to our correspondent.
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