Published 29th Apr, 2023

By Daniel Ojukwu

The police in Ijede, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, have refunded ₦68,000 its officers stole from Joy Aghama, a tricycle driver.

The police also repaired the windscreen of Aghama’s tricycle — a windscreen its officers bashed with her head on Monday.

This comes days after FIJ reported how the police took money from her tricycle in the guise of bail after breaking her windscreen and physically assaulting her.

Confirming the development to FIJ, Aghama said she met Bawa Saidu, Area Commander of the Area N Police Command, on Saturday, and he apologised to her for the excesses of the men involved.

She said Saidu supervised the repair of the tricycle, and enforced a full repayment of the sum stolen from her.

“They have repaired my keke and paid me in full,” an excited Aghama told FIJ. “I met with the Area Commander today [Saturday], and he ensured they fixed everything and paid the money.

“Thank you very much, sir. I’m really grateful.”

Aghama told FIJ that Sunday Oluwadare, DPO of the station, had on Friday visited her to offer part payment of the sum, and partial contribution to the repairs of her tricycle.

“I was hospitalised after they assaulted me, and when I went home, the DPO came to see me,” Aghama told FIJ. “When he came, he was saying the police would refund part, and pay part of the cost for my windscreen.”

Aghama was a victim of police harassment, assault, extortion and intimidation on Monday evening when policemen attached to Ijede police station stopped her tricycle and demanded for money.

After putting up a defiant stance against the police, they grabbed a hold of her head and bashed her windscreen with it, then dragged her through the road, ripping her clothes and inflicting bruises on her.

When FIJ called Oluwadare, he promised to look into it, but later declined further comment, and asked FIJ to speak with Benjamin Hundeyin, Public Relations Officer of the Lagos Police Command.

Hundeyin did not take FIJ’s calls or reply the newspaper’s text messages, but the Lagos State Police Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit (PPCRRU) did. This unit said it would look into the matter, but that the police was not mandated to make disciplinary actions against its officers public.

Ojukwu is a reporter with FIJ in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.

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