DEJI LAMBO writes on the plights of two policemen who became victims of injustice in the course of fighting crime
Against all odds, two ex-policemen, Shola Akano and Babatunde Glorious, have been relentlessly seeking justice against senior policemen accused of compromising a criminal case linked to a notorious armed robber identified simply as Ajadi in Kwara State.
However, the duo’s stance came at a cost – dismissal; since then, Akano and Glorious have been confronting the Herculean task of proving their innocence.
But in the daring quest to achieve their aim, they, unfortunately, steadily got pitched against the accused police officers, who, among others, had been reportedly using their influence in the police system to silence their outcry for justice.
However, these ex-policemen managed to fight their way up to the highest echelon of the Nigeria Police Force to achieve their aim of getting justice to no avail, they said they are resolute.
Amid the risks encountered, and the unexpected twists compounded by a series of deceitfully orchestrated plans the accused policemen executed to overturn their bid at getting justice, Akano and Glorious say they still believe that light exists at the end of the tunnel in their quest to ensure that truth prevails in their case against corrupt policemen responsible for their unjust dismissal from the NPF.
Short-lived victory
However, an effort by these determined ex-policemen at getting justice almost paid off in 2021; the effort came through a video story recorded by our correspondent and colleague, Olabode Olalekan.
In the video story released online by PUNCH Newspapers, Akano and Glorious, while briefly encapsulating their ordeal in the hands of corrupt senior policemen, appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to grant them an audience regarding their case.
The video trended; it hit a home run, as the IGP ordered an investigation into the case. But the investigation was short-lived, as an uneasy silence engulfed the process. Why the investigation took such an unexpected turn, especially with the involvement of the IGP, remains a mystery to date.
The genesis
The episode that pitched Akano and Glorious against their former colleagues started sometime in December 2018.
Back then, the ex-policemen were working at the Public Complaints Bureau of the Kwara State Police Command.
According to Akano, an armed robbery victim, Abdulrazaq Omowunmi, who owned a Toyota Camry car with a Lagos number plate, reported a case of car theft to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Okesanmi Ajayi.
The 39-year-old said the PPRO reported the case to the former state Commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who assigned the duo’s unit to investigate the case.
