Police Arraign Banker for Allegedly Assaulting Lagos DPO

The Lagos State Police Command has charged a banker, Obi Adaobi, with assaulting a Divisional Police Officer in the state, SP Sina Olunlade.

Adaobi, who works with a bank in Marina, Lagos Island, was arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court on two counts bordering on breach of the peace and assault.

The banker was accused of grabbing the officer attached to the Ebute Ero Police Division by the uniform while he was on duty in Marina.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the DPO had led a team to the area around 5am on Friday, January 27, after receiving a distress call that a high-tension wire fell to the ground and could endanger the lives of passersby.

It was gathered that 28-year-old Adaobi, who was on the way to her office, stopped at the scene to observe what was happening.

The DPO was said to have shouted at her to leave the scene, but the banker reportedly cautioned him, leading to an altercation.

A police source said the woman grabbed the DPO by the uniform and used her nails to inflict injuries in his chest.

“It was about 4am that the DPO was called. The electricity company at Elegbata was informed to take off power. The DPO later joined the team and the road was blocked.

“The banker stood under part of   high-tension wires and the DPO shouted at her to leave the place. When she didn’t leave, the DPO shouted at her again and threatened to slap her. As he made move to push her away from the spot, she grabbed him by the uniform and used her artificial nails to injure him in the chest,” the source said.

However, Adaobi in her statement to the police, said she grabbed the officer by the uniform after he allegedly slapped her twice.

She said, “I wanted to observe what was happening when a policeman shouted that I should leave the place.

“He kept shouting and I said the issue was not worth shouting about. He slapped me twice. I grabbed him by the uniform and asked him to stop slapping me. Other policemen came and started beating me.”

The banker was brought before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court on two counts of assault and breach of the peace by a police prosecutor, Inspector B. Ekundayo.

The charges read in part, “That you, Obi Adaobi, on January 27, 2017, at about 6am, around the UBA headquarters in Marina, Lagos Island, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did seriously assault SP Sina Olunlade, the DPO of the Ebute Ero Police Station, by grabbing him by his police uniform while on his lawful duty and gave him bruises with your artificial nails in his chest, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 172 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N200,000 with one surety by a presiding magistrate, Mr. A. Adefulire.

The case was adjourned till February 28, 2017.