Human rights activist Femi Falana has called upon Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to take action in ensuring the arrest and prosecution of officers who allegedly assaulted Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero.
Falana’s statement comes as he criticizes the police’s explanation regarding Ajaero’s arrest. The police had denied detaining the NLC president during the union’s rally in Owerri, Imo State, and stated that Ajaero was only taken away when troublemakers disrupted the NLC Trade Union rally.
However, Falana expressed doubts about the police’s explanation, questioning why they didn’t apprehend the troublemakers who attacked the NLC President in their presence.
He said: “The police version of the brutalisation of the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajero is full of loopholes.
“Why did the police allow Comrade Ajero to be brutalised by the so-called miscreants? In other words, why did the police not protect him from the violent attack?
“So the police who witnessed the attack without making any arrest suddenly turned round to take the victim to the police clinic. The members of the public who decried the barbaric attack took pictures, which exposed the misleading version of the police.
“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.”