You Must Produce My Son Alive – Suspect’s Mother Tells Police

The mother of the 17-year-old robbery suspect, Aliu Oladeni, who was detained by the Igando Police Division for more than eight months, has said the police must produce him alive.

Mrs. Bola Oladeni told Punch Metro on Sunday that she believed Aliu was not dead, adding that the police should take him to court.

This is just as constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay, advised the suspect’s family to approach a court and apply for Habeaus corpus, which would compel the police to explain what had become of their son.

Police took custody of the teenager more than eight months ago after his family took him to the Igando Police station.

Aliu had been taken to the station after a mob went to their residence in Igando and damaged some property, saying a robbery suspect they caught named him as one of his accomplices.

PUNCH Metro reported that the then Divisional Police Officer of the station, CSP Benjamin Osuji, through one Charles, allegedly collected over N160, 000 from the family, promising to assist in the release of the suspect.

Our correspondent was told that despite the bail money, the police did not release him and every attempt by the family to know his whereabouts had been abortive.

Aliu’s mother, Bola, told our correspondent she had been sent out of her shop, where she worked, because she could no longer afford the rent, having expended all her capital on the pursuit of her son’s release.

She said, “Since the time the incident happened, I have not been myself again. We have spent so much money and borrowed from friends and neighbours.

“I know my son is not dead. The police are keeping him somewhere. What we want is for them to tell us where they are keeping him.”

She said she could vouch for her son that he was not involved in the robbery for which he was detained.

“When we took him to the station that day, the woman, whose house was robbed, said he was not part of those that came to her house. The boy who mentioned his name, Sodiq, was his old friend,” she added.

Sagay said it was against the right of the suspect to be kept in detention beyond 24 hours.

He advised the family to obtain the service of a good lawyer.

He said, “The law is very clear on this. In a place like Lagos where a court is within 40 minutes drive from wherever a person is detained, such a thing is unacceptable and unconstitutional. He is supposed to be arraigned in court within 24 hours. You cannot be detained just like that without a court order or what they now call administrative bail.

“If the young man has not been remanded by any court, it is a case of illegal detention. And they should get a lawyer, who will apply for Habeaus corpus. This means they will apply to the court to order the police to produce him in court. So, the order will compel the police to explain if he is no longer alive and what happened to him.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, had yet to reply to a text message sent to him.