NOVEMBER 5, 2013
Johnson
A petty trader, Mrs. Adesola Johnson, said she was on Saturday assaulted by a policeman attached to the Alakara Police Division in the aftermath of the violence that followed a raid on drug barons at Akala and Akerele streets by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Johnson was allegedly beaten by the yet-to-be identified policeman for preventing the police from arresting her 19-year-old son after the clash that took place between warring groups at Akala and Fadeyi.
She said, “It was round 8am, I was sitting at my stall on Yuba street when I noticed some young men running from the direction of Akala towards me. We later learnt NDLEA was raiding drug barons.
“When such raids occur, Akala boys usually run to Fadeyi and attack the boys there under the guise that it was the Fadeyi boys who invited the NDLEA. This caused a fight between the two groups on Saturday.”
While the fight between the two groups raged, a detachment of policemen from the Alakara Police Division allegedly arrived at the scene.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the warring groups, upon sighting the policemen, took to their heels with the policemen in pursuit.
“As at the time the boys were running in my direction, my son was just coming back from his place of work. Because of the tense situation in the area, I told him to go into my stall immediately and sit there while we waited for things to settle.
“The policemen who were chasing those fighting were close by. Immediately they got to my stall, they told my son to come out. I knew they were going to arrest him so I protested.
“One of the policemen whose name I don’t know got angry. He took out a big wire and beat me with it. His colleagues who were there, encouraged him. It took the intervention of the market leader for the policeman to leave me and my son alone,” Johnson said.
Four vehicles were reportedly vandalised in the fight.
There was no response from the Lagos State Police Public Relations officer DSP Ngozi Braide.
Meanwhile, a statement from the NDLEA Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, said that 680.266kg of drugs was recovered in the raid, while 15 persons were arrested.
The raid was said to have been conducted with some officials of the Nigeria Army.
The NDLEA Lagos Commander, Mr. Aliyu Sule, said that the operation was in response to intelligence report received on the affected locations.
He said, “We daily collect and process information on the activities of drug traffickers and conduct raids when it is expedient. Those apprehended are being investigated and very soon they will be charged to court.”
The Army Commander in charge of 9 Brigade, Brigadier General Adeniyi Oyebade, assured the NDLEA of the support of the Nigerian Army to the anti-drug campaign.
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