Police brutality: Femi Falana offers to defend Lekki couple free of charge

by Anike Jacobs

On Wednesday, story of how a drunk Police officer, Dada Ogunsanya, brutalized a photographer, Ejeh Smith and his wife, Grace, in the Lekki area of Lagos hit the Nigerian cyberspace.

On hearing about the case, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana offered to take it up for free.

Describing the incident as unfortunate, the human rights lawyer, Falana, told the Punch Newspapers that “it is the height of infringement on their fundamental human rights to dignity. The policeman involved has to be shamed and prosecuted because he exposed them to mental, psychological and physical torture. The policeman certainly does not deserve to be in uniform.

“The DPO’s action subjected them to further torture. She has no power under the law to collect the phone and remove any information therein. Her case is worse than even the policeman she was trying to shield. She is paid to superintend the policemen under her. For colluding with the police officer, she also deserved the full weight of the law on her.”

Ejeh and Grace were going home in a taxi when Ogunsanya and six other police officers patrolling the area flagged down their cab at the Lekki Roundabout.

The policeman asked the cab driver, Ndubuisi Iheaka, to open his boot for a routine check. He allegedly asked the couple to alight from the cab when they asked him to stop flashing his torch on them since the vehicle’s inner lights were on.

In the argument that ensued, the police officer hit Ejeh in the eye with the butt of his rifle and  punched his wife in the face. He also allegedly stepped on Grace’s stomach and dragged her on the floor until a stranger passing by intervened and insisted that the policemen call their boss to the scene.

Comments (3)

  1. The hallmark of Nigeria police is brutality,they are not ashame, but they should know that when their. Cup is full Nigeria will stand up and attack

  2. The issue of brutality must take to justice.our dear lawyal should use all God gave him to wrestle those involved heartless act.

  3. The citizens of this country go through series of pains inflicted on them by nigeria police,a lot of people has gone through this type of brutality unnoticed and a lot have died,the defference between police and tout is the uniform and the gone, Nigeria police has commited all kinds of atrocities against the citizens of this country.The dpo and the animal policeman don’t deserve to remain in uniform,the are disgrace not only to police force but to the intire nation, they need to be sacked and proscuted.

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