A Nigerian businessman, Abel Ebilene Fimienye has accused the Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Zone 7 of scuttling his bail process, re-arresting and unlawfully detaining him and allegedly demanding the sum of N1 million before he could be granted bail.

Fimienye made these allegations in a petition written on his behalf by his lawyer, Sydney Ben-Iwo to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, dated November 7, 2024, through the Force Public Relations Officer and Officer-in-Charge, Public Complaints Bureau.

According to the petition, after he was granted bail at Mabushi Police Division and after his sureties finished signing the bail bond, a team of policemen from AIG Zone 7 arrived and whisked him away and is currently detaining him at the Zone 7 headquarters.

“Officers of the Mabushi Divisional Police Station granted bail, after signing up the bail bond, right there at the Mabushi Divisional Police Station, a team of officers from AIG zone 7, that had obviously been pre informed of the plan to grant bail to Mr. Abel Ebeline, came to pick Mr. Abel Ebeline right there at Mabushi Divisional Police Station and are detaining him now at the AIG zone 7 station on the same alleged offense, these officers are asking for One million Naira, for them to consider bail.”

He stated that this was on the 27th day of his being detained by police officers at Mabushi Police Division and being assaulted, intimidated, harassed and compelled to sell his car and give them N20 million from the proceeds.

His lawyer, Sydney Ben-Iwo accused the police high command of inaction since a petition regarding the issue was first sent to the Inspector General of Police, pointing out that the actions of the police were a violation human rights laws extant in Nigeria, as well as international instruments for the protection of the rights of citizens to which Nigeria is severally a signatory.

“The penal code mandates the police that for a civil matter or even criminal matter, the maximum duration for detaining a suspect is 48 hours but my client has been detained for 26 days and on the 27th day when he has been granted bail, the AIG Zone 7 sent his men to come and arrest him again.”

“This is clearly a violation of the fundamental rights of my client; his right dignity of the human person, his right to freedom of movement, his right to fair hearing, his right before the law to have access to his family, his lawyer, his doctor, all of these have been denied him.”

“Is this the legacy the current IGP was to leave behind, a legacy of lawlessness? A legacy of impunity by policemen serving under him? A legacy of non-adherence to the rule of law?”  

He thumbed down the current management of the Nigeria Police Force for not rising to the occasion and ensuring discipline among its rank and file, asserting that “truly, the Nigeria Police under the watch of the current dispensation is encouraging impunity of it officers”.

“The complaint response units set up by previous dispensation to check such excesses and infamous actions of officers has been bastardized. Days after report and consistent follow up on the ordeal of our client, the office obviously can’t do anything about it, maybe because of the seemingly interest of high Police officers!!!”

Efforts by Kristina Reports to have a response from the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 7, Benneth Igwe on the matter, proved abortive as at the time of this report.