Sacked Sergeant Seeks Justice, Writes IGP Abubakar

Sergeant Amos Olaniyan of the Nigeria Police Force,  Abigi Division, Ogun State and three others were verbally dismissed 17 years ago for alleged corruption but were later absolved. However, since then, the battle to regain their jobs has been fought relentlessly to no avail.

Olaniyan recently wrote a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, to revisit the injustice meted out to him and others and order their reinstatement.

Speaking with Crime Watch over his ordeal, Olaniyan said ASP Abiodun Asabi led him and Inspector David Oloyede, Corporal David Okhuarobo and Sergeant Joseph Akaah (now late) on patrol duty at Ogere on the day of the incident.

He said the then Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Abubakar Tsav, stopped and searched them and found N1,075 on the front seat of the patrol vehicle. They were accused of corruption.

Olaniyan explained that they were taken to the Zone 2 Police Headquarters at Onikan, Lagos where an officer was detailed to try them on a two-count charge of corrupt practices. But the officer found them not guilty and, therefore, discharged and acquitted them.

‘’Our team leader, ASP Abiodun Asabi, was not tried at all. Thereafter, he was promoted and became a Divisional Police Officer, DPO. Today, he is still in service. After our ordeal, one of us, Sergeant Joseph Akaah, died while I have since been struggling to get justice,” he narrated.

When asked about the efforts he had made to press for his reinstatement, Olaniyann said eminent lawyer and rights activist, Professor Itse Sagay, once wrote to former IGP, Hafiz Ringim, adding that Sagay even described the case as ‘’a miscarriage of justice.” He regretted that Ringim did not acknowledge Sagay’s letter let alone act on it.

Olaniyan, therefore, appealed to Abubakar to revisit the case and ensure he was reinstated to his job since he and others tried for corruption were found blameless but they were unjustly dismissed verbally.

“Since then, I have been living on charity; I rely solely on assistance from friends. I presently squat in a church premises with members of my family. Things have been so bad that I have survived only because of the mercy of God. Starvation and hunger could have killed me,’’ he lamented.

—Moyo Fabiyi