Police officers beat up estate guard

AyBenson, who goes by @AyBenson on Twitter, has detailed the purportedly impolite behaviour of a few Lagos State Police Command agents assigned to the Ogombo Division. 

In response to the operatives' alleged "illegalities" of beating up a security guard at the Abraham Adesanya Estate entrance in the state's Ajah district, he made these statements.

Narrating the incident late Thursday via his X handle, AyBenson wrote, “Men of the Nigeria Police Force are putting our lives in danger in Abraham Adesanya Estate and we’re tired! At about 10:48 p.m. 24th April, policemen in uniform in two branded trucks from Ogombo Division forcefully gained access to our estate through the designated gate for estate residents

“As soon as the security man on duty tried to carry out the due diligence in checks, they jumped out, numbering about 10 and descended on him with their guns to the extent of breaking his teeth and injuring him. They also swore to take him away to an unknown location to teach him respect for the police; if not for the timely intervention of the supervisor on duty who is a retired millitary personnel.”

The X user further stated that after the intervention, “one of the policemen in mufti who was challenged at the access point, called for nine more mobile policemen to mercilessly brutalise the guard who challenged him.”

“How can men of the Police Force who have sworn to protect the citizens of this country be the same people putting all our lives in grave danger? Something must be done about this urgently?” he queried.

The homeowner mentioned that people residing in the estate are starting to worry about these actions by the security personnel.

In response to the account, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, criticised the security guard for the estate for obstructing the police officers.

The resistance to arrest, according to Hundeyin, is a "offence."

“It is actually sad and worrisome that when an estate resident calls the police to respond to an ongoing incident within an estate, police officers in full uniform and police branded patrol vehicles are stopped at the gate by the estate security men to ‘carry out due diligence in checks,’ to use your exact words.

“Obstructing police officers in the discharge of their duties is an offence. Resisting arrest is equally an offence. Minimal force will be applied where absolutely necessary.

“For other claims about actions of police officers residing in the estate, it is curious that the estate residents association has never called the attention of the Lagos State Police Command to them, especially considering that we have an open channel of communication with all CDAs and estate residents associations mostly through their Chief Security Officers.”

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