Police deny locking up Lagos magistrate

The police in Lagos State have dismissed reports accusing it of locking up a magistrate in a cell.

“No Magistrate was locked up by any Police officer under the command; there’s nothing like that anywhere,” the command’s spokesperson , Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday.

Media reports alleged that an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Aliko Dankoli, ordered a magistrate to be locked up at Area D Command, Mushin.

The female magistrate, who is from Ikeja Division, had gone to the Command on a routine check of suspects illegally detained in police cells.

Mr Hundeyin described the story as “pure fiction.”

“The Command wishes to state clearly that at no time did the Area Commander detain or attempt to detain the Magistrate, who was at the Area Command for cell inspection exercise.

“The Police will never engage in such disrespect to the Judiciary. That the writer referred to a serving Magistrate as ‘the innocent woman’ says a lot about his objectivity/bias and contrived efforts at sensationalism.

“The writer could not provide the name of the magistrate, who is a public officer. It is equally suspicious that the writer made no attempt to contact the judiciary to verify the purported detention.”

Mr Hundeyin said the police had done the needful by contacting the Lagos judiciary.

According to him, the Lagos State Judiciary confirmed that there was no such thing and neither was the magistrate prevented from carrying out her cell inspection exercise.

“We hereby state it unequivocally that any attempt to cause disaffection between the Police and the Judiciary will be fiercely resisted.

“We remain worthy partners in the judicial sector.

“The Lagos State Police Command enjoins Lagos residents to disregard the story as officers and men under the stewardship of CP Abiodun Alabi, will continue to be professional and uphold the rule of law at all times,” he said.

(NAN)