Ikorodu DPO Arrested Over Suspect's Abduction From Police Cell

The Divisional Police Officer, Igbogbo Police
Division, Ikorodu, Lagos State, has been detained
at the State Department of Criminal
Investigation, Yaba, for his failure to account for
the whereabouts of Waidi Kabiru, who was
abducted from the station about a month ago.
It was learnt that, the DPO was arrested on
Friday on the order of the state Commissioner
of Police, Fatai Owoseni.
It was gathered that the CP had on Friday,
December 11, given the DPO a four-day
ultimatum to produce the 26-year-old youth, who
was abducted from the police cell by some
masked men on November 23.
It was learnt that Owoseni specifically ordered
the DPO to produce him last Wednesday or risk
being sanctioned.
It was gathered that the CP invited Waidi's
family and the DPO for a meeting at the State
Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja,
penultimate Saturday, where he gave the
directive.
Prior to the meeting, the parents, Karimat
Adebanbi and Bisiriyu Kabiru, had accused the
Police of being indifferent to the whereabouts of
their son, despite a petition sent to the CP.
Punch Metro had exclusively reported on
December 1 that Waidi was arrested during a
raid on Shelewu Road, Ikorodu and detained at
the station. He was, however, abducted from the
station after some policemen turned down a sum
of N4,000 bribe initially offered by his father to
facilitate his release.
However, the command had refuted the
abduction, saying the youth was released to a
surety who had yet to be identified.
The grandmother of the victim, Mrs. Ajoke
Pedro, on Saturday told PUNCH Metro that the
CP promised to reunite Waidi with the family.
She said,..
''The CP invited the family and the DPO to a
meeting and he instructed him to produce Waidi
on or before last Wednesday, but he has failed
to do so. On Friday, I called the CP to know our
fate and he said the DPO has been arrested. I
later leant that the DPO had indeed been
detained.''
Waidi's mother, Adebanbi, urged the police not
to sweep the matter under the carpet, adding
that the DPO had said the matter would
eventually die down. She said,..
''We appreciate the interest the CP has shown
in the case recently. We don't want the case to
stop with the DPO's arrest.''
A police source told our correspondent that the
CP had been summoned from the Force
headquarters in Abuja on the incident and had
been mandated to unravel the circumstances
surrounding Waidi's disappearance.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer,
DSP Joe Offor, said he had not been briefed on
the arrest by the CP. He, however, said he was
aware that the DPO was given a query.
He said, ''I am aware that the CP issued the DPO
a query to explain how the suspect was released
and the details of the surety he claimed stood
for him (Waidi). I have not been told of his
arrest.''