Men of the Nigerian Police Force, from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos, on Wednesday abducted two teenage children in order to arrest their father.
It was learnt that the police officers stormed the residence of the children’s father, one Mr. Mustard Ramadan over a crime allegation but did not meet the businessman who had gone to work. It was at that point that they decided to abduct Ramadan’s two children as a way to compel him to report to the police station.
In a swift move, Mr. Ramadan’s lawyer, Mr. Adeyemi Olatunji immediately petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni to intervene so that the innocent children, who ordinarily should be in school are released.
Accord to the lawyer, the abduction of the teenage children, Abbati Muktari Ramadan and Kabiru Ramadan clearly violate Convention on the Treatment of Children and Women in areas of conflict and it is contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Administration in the High Court and Magistrates Courts Law of Lagos State 2011.
Mr. Adeyemi in the petition stated that his client, called to informed him that some men who claimed to be policemen from D9 in Panti invaded his house at about 4.30am and woke up his entire family, including women who were still in various stages of UnCloth, demanding to see him.
Since he, Muktari Ramadan was not around they grabbed the two teenage boys and bundled them into their vehicle.
“Our client’s wife quickly placed a call to her husband who requested to speak with the policemen. Our client spoke to one of the policemen who refused to give his name but only demanded that our client produce himself at their office by 9am. Our client told him that from where he was he would not be able to get to Panti at 9am but that he would get there around 11am.
“Our client who believed he had secured the understanding of officers was distraught when his wife told him the men left with the two children. The men did not leave any letter of invitation or any official document beyond the verbal message.
“Our client who is into the business of transportation and equipment leasing informed us that sometimes in late February 2016 a legal practitioner whom he only knows as Barrister Dele approached him to lease his caterpillar for a demolition job.
Our client informed us that he told the lawyer that he would not release his equipment for such job unless there was guarantee that the job was legal and that there would be adequate security for his men and equipment.
“The lawyer assured him there was a court order and that there would be police security with court bailiffs in attendance. True to his word, the next day the lawyer came in a bus with four armed mobile policemen and some court officials. It was only then that our client released his caterpillar with an operator to go and do the job somewhere in satellite town.
“According to our client, the operator told him that when they got to the site he could not do the demolition because the owner of the building came out to stop them and the lawyer agreed that they were going to negotiate. The operator left the scene with the caterpillar and our client was paid. He said he was called again two weeks later to come and do demolition and he told them to fulfil the last condition which they met.
“When they got to the site there were people around so he could not carry out the demolition again, he was only able to tap a portion of the roof of the house before they all left the scene. To our client’s surprise, somebody informed him that the lawyer had been arrested about a week ago and just two days ago his operator was also arrested. So, our client firmly beliefs the abduction of his children has to do with the demolition work.
Mr. Adeyemi said his client is not afraid to honour police invitation as he was prepared to appear at Panti as promised.
