Rights Lawyer Falana urges IGP to Prosecute police officers behind assault of NLC President In Imo

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

Femi Falana, a human rights activist, has urged Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to make sure that cops who are accused of abusing Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), are detained and charged.

Falana made the comment while criticising the police statement over Ajaero’s detention.

Congress gathered that the NLC president was arrested on Wednesday during the union’s rally in Owerri, Imo State, but the police had denied assaulting him.

The police clarified that Ajaero was only taken away when thugs took over the NLC Trade Union demonstration in Owerri.

Falana, nevertheless, said that the police’s statement was riddled with errors.

Falana questioned why the police didn’t detain the criminals who had attacked the NLC President in front of them in a written statement.

“The police version of Comrade Joe Ajero, the President of the NLC, being brutalized is rife with holes,” he declared.

“Why did the police stand by while the so-called miscreants beat Comrade Ajero? Stated differently, what prevented the cops from defending him from the vicious assault?

“The officers then abruptly turned
around to take the victim to the police clinic after seeing the incident but failing to make any arrests. Photographs taken by the public outcrying the brutal attack showed the police’s deceptive narrative.

“It is disturbing that the police justified the action of the so-called miscreants by saying that Comrade Ajero has disobeyed the order of a court. Why did the police not allow the court to purge Comrade Ajero of contempt of court?

“We call on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and ensure that the police officers who brutalised the NLC President are prosecuted without any delay.”