On Wednesday, June 21, an incident unfolded at the Nigeria Security Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) headquarters in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, as officials from the NSCDC assaulted an officer from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), MF Oyetunji. The assault took place despite Oyetunji being in his official uniform and carrying out his duty….CONTINUE READING...CONTINUE READING
This incident raises concerns about the need for enhanced collaboration among Nigeria’s security agencies to effectively address the prevailing security challenges.
What happened
According to Officer MF Oyetunji’s account of the incident to The Informant247, he and other senior FRSC officials were on patrol around Garage Offa when they apprehended a driver of a Toyota Solara for violating traffic rules.
“We stopped a Toyota Solara with plate number LFF 997TA at the Orange filling station at Offa Garage. The driver was found to be in violation of traffic rules, including not wearing a seat belt, and he also failed to provide the necessary car documents. Additionally, he presented a fake driver’s license, which are serious offenses,” Oyetunji stated.
Oyetunji was then instructed by his superior officer to impound the vehicle at the ‘A’ Division Police Station. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when the driver deceitfully drove the car directly to the NSCDC office near the Post Office in Ilorin.
“The driver, who is physically challenged, pleaded with me to allow him to drop off his family near the post office area. Showing leniency, I agreed. To my surprise, he headed towards the NSCDC office instead. He requested permission to drive into the NSCDC premises, but I declined. Nevertheless, he went inside alone, promising it would only take him five minutes, but it ended up lasting 30 minutes,” Oyetunji recounted.
Later, Oyetunji discovered that the driver had an elder brother who served as an NSCDC officer, leading him to believe that the impoundment of the vehicle could be hindered.
The disturbing scene
Upon the driver’s arrival at the NSCDC office, he did not find his brother there. Following a phone conversation between the driver and his brother, the brother directed the driver to approach another NSCDC officer who was on duty.
“Much to my dismay, after the phone conversation between the driver’s brother and the NSCDC officer, the officer confronted me, demanding that I return the car key and leave the driver alone. I refused,” Oyetunji explained.
As the confrontation escalated, the Commandant of the NSCDC in Kwara State became aware of the situation and intervened.
“After hearing the commotion, the new Commandant of the NSCDC came out to mediate. He instructed me to return the key to the driver, but I stood firm, as it would go against our rules and may result in a query or salary deduction. The driver had already been documented by my superior officer, who is in charge of patrols and has the authority to handle such matters differently,” Oyetunji stated.
However, despite Oyetunji’s refusal to comply and after the commandant returned to his office, several NSCDC officers, some of whom were not in uniform, physically assaulted Oyetunji.
“Despite my presence in my official uniform, approximately ten officers viciously attacked and assaulted me. They damaged my belt and forcefully threw me to the ground. It was an extremely distressing situation,” Oyetunji lamented.
During the assault, another senior NSCDC officer
of the NSCDC, Mr. O.A Yusuf, intervened and appealed to Oyetunji to defuse the situation.
One of the officers involved in assaulting the FRSC officer was later identified as Gobir. Gobir loosely claimed that Oyetunji was harassed because he refused to comply with the commandant’s request to return the car key to the driver.
When the assault was reported to the commandant, he dismissed the incident, asserting that Oyetunji had shown disrespect to his rank by refusing to return the key to the driver initially.
However, a senior FRSC officer later took possession of the key from Oyetunji.
“One of my superior officers eventually arrived and asked me to hand him the key, which he later returned to the driver. No one faced consequences for the brutal assault I endured at the hands of these NSCDC officers,” Oyetunji concluded.
Kwara NSCDC reaction
When contacted, Ayeni Olasunkanmi, the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Kwara State command, stated that the issue had been resolved and declined to provide further information, citing it as an inter-agency matter not meant for public disclosure.
“It’s an inter agency issue and it has been settled on that level. It’s not meant for public consumption,” he claimed….CONTINUE READING
