A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi
Falana (SAN), has asked the
Inspector-General of Police, Mr.
Solomon Arase, to transfer some
police officers from Ekiti State for
collaborating with kidnappers who
are behind the recent wave of
abduction in the state.
In his letter dated May 19, 2015
addressed to Arase, Falana
commended the IGP for dispatching
crack team to the state in response
to the call for intervention by the
state’s governor, Mr. Ayodele
Fayose.
Falana, however, said the current
atmosphere of impunity in the
state was aiding the rampant cases
of kidnap in the state.
The letter read in part, “In the
atmosphere of impunity which
obtains in Ekiti State, armed thugs
have been operating with the
connivance of the state
government. The police and the
Department of State Service have
been officially restrained from
arresting the criminal elements.
“In the circumstance, they have
unleashed mindless violence on
innocent people. The criminal gang
has since been joined by kidnap
suspects who escaped from the
Lokoja Prisons. Hence, the wave of
kidnapping, armed robbery and
other violent crimes have reached
an alarming proportion in Ekiti
State.
“While commending you for
drafting a special crack team to Ekiti
State headed by a new
Commissioner of Police, you ought
to transfer some of the police
officers in the Ekiti State police
command for allegedly
collaborating with some of the
criminal gangs.
“And to ensure that criminal
suspects who are arrested by the
police are promptly charged to
court, you should impress it on the
Ekiti State government to enter
into negotiations with the striking
judicial workers with a view to
reopening the courts without any
further delay.”
Falana also blamed the successive
administrations in the state from
the government of Segun Oni, the
first term of Fayose in office and the
immediate past administration of
Dr. Kayode Fayemi for the political
killings that had taken place under
their watch.
The letter further read, “During the
first term of Governor Ayo Fayose
(2003-2006) there were politically
motivated killings in Ekiti State. In
several reports compiled by the
police and the DSS the killings
were traced to a killer squad
funded by the Ekiti State
government.”
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
