Police Detain Officers Over Alleged Assault on Students

The Nigeria Police Force, Zone XI Command, announced on Thursday that officers involved in a raid on a hostel for students at the Federal Polytechnic, Ede in Osun State, have been detained as an investigation begins.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olanrewaju Ojedele, shared this information in a WhatsApp message to our correspondent, stating that the command is looking into the details of the incident.

Ojedele added that all suspects arrested related to the incident have been released. He also mentioned that the assaulted student received treatment at a clinic before being released.

“The officers involved have been detained for further investigation. All suspects have been released and the assaulted student was taken to the clinic for treatment before being released,” Ojedele said.

In a further statement on Thursday, Ojedele reported that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in the zone, Bassey Ewah, ordered the immediate release of the arrested students after meeting with student representatives.

“During the meeting, the AIG assured the students that there would be a thorough and fair investigation into the alleged assault by operatives of the Zone 11 Cybercrime Unit,” the statement said.

The police chief stressed the importance of accountability and professionalism in police work. He assured the public that the investigation results will be shared once concluded.

The AIG also asked the public to remain calm and obey the law, stating that proper measures would be taken regarding the incident to ensure justice.

Earlier, the South-West Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students filed a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu. They claimed that officers from the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone XI Command, Osogbo, invaded the homes of some Federal Polytechnic students in Ede and assaulted them.

Josiah Adeyemo, the Coordinator of the student body, signed the letter, which was sent to the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, among others. The group condemned the incident and called for an immediate investigation into the actions of the officers involved.

Adeyemo stated that the students were arrested and taken away after the alleged invasion. He added that the police had not contacted the families or revealed the students' locations.

He mentioned that video evidence shows the officers gained forced entry into a hostel shared by male and female students, intimidated them, and physically attacked them.

The NANS coordinator also noted that the officers took the mobile phones of another student who filmed the incident from a different building in the same area.

The statement read: “The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS South-West Zone D, strongly condemns the disturbing actions of officers from the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 11 Command, during a raid at a student hostel in our area.

“As we issue this statement, we do not know the exact location or condition of the affected students, and their families, friends, and the student leadership have not been informed. We believe they were taken to a police station, but we still do not know their allegations or current condition.

“We call on the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11, AIG Bassey S. Ewah, to urgently address the Cybercrime Unit and confirm the location and safety of the affected students.”

The group also demanded that police disclose where the students are held, allow access for their families and legal representatives, conduct medical checks for anyone assaulted, and return all confiscated phones and recording devices unless lawfully held as evidence.

They requested that all video evidence related to the incident be preserved and that there be no attempts to delete or tamper with evidence. They also wanted to know the legal basis for the raid and the reasons for the arrests, along with a thorough investigation into the officers' conduct, with disciplinary action if needed.

In some videos obtained by our correspondent, two men in black, one with a rifle, were seen dragging a man in just his underpants out of a house. A woman who came out of the same house was heard shouting for help.

The struggle involved the two men slapping the man being dragged. Another man in black was seen moving towards the location where the incident was recorded.