Published 22nd Apr, 2021

By Gabriel Ogunjobi

Abdullateef Awawu Ibidun, the detained street sweeper, and Balikis, her granddaughter have been released from detention at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kwara State Police Command, FIJ can confirm.

One of the family members said the release was finalised at about 7pm on Thursday.

Ibidun and Balikis were among the four suspects arrested on April 7 over the possession of a phone lost during a car robbery in July 2020. After the robbery case was reported to the Adewole Police station and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kwara Police Command, the latter was only able to track the lost phone to the four suspects that were later detained while investigation continued.

Ibidun told the police she found the phone while performing her official duties before giving it to her granddaughter. According to them, the phone continued to change hands until it reached the fourth person, who was the eventual buyer.

FIJ gathered that two of the suspects were released behind the knowledge of the complainant after one of the officers collected N200,000 from them but the old woman and her granddaughter were not released because they couldn’t afford to bribe officers at the CID.

Following FIJ’s report which prompted intervention of the Police Complaint Response Unit in Abuja, the remaining detainees were released on Thursday without paying a dime.

Earlier on Thursday morning, Ajayi Okasanmi, the Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Police Command, had denied that the old woman and her granddaughter were not released because they couldn’t bribe the police officers but his press statement was subsequently found false.

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