The Chairman of the Association of Kwara Online Media Practitioners, Salihu Shola Taofeek who doubles as the Publisher of Informant247 online Newspaper has alleged maltreatment of him and two other journalists by the operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Kwara Command.
Beaten and detained with him were Salihu Ayatullah (Editor, Informant247) and Eyitanwa Lawal, a lawyer turned journalist with the SOBI 101.9FM Ilorin.
Narrating the incident, Salihu Shola Taofeek said “Earlier today, at about 1:00 pm, I received a call from a cousin who was arrested and detained by the Kwara state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. I and Salihu Ayatullahi went there in the company of a lawyer.
“On getting there, we were told it was a family issue and directed to the Peace and Conflict Resolution unit of the Command. At the unit, we were told that the detainee fought with the wife of one of their officers simply identified as Kannike, thus warranting his detention. We were redirected back to the Station Office.
“On getting back to the Station Office, the officer told us that the matter is a family one and we should leave and allow their other ‘customers’ to have space. We were about to leave when Eyintanwa Lawal a journalist colleague with Sobi FM and a lawyer came in. She inquired about what happened from the detainee without him respond, the officer at the counter started orally harassing by using abusive words on her, on the guise that she wasn’t given permission to speak with a suspect detainee under their care, all entreaties to make her desist proved abortive.
“Thus, I jocularly told her and 3 of her colleagues who had already joined in verbally harassing Barr. Eyitanwa, that they called us their customer and they are not giving us friendly customer service.
“That harmless reaction to their earlier comment about us being their customer obviously infuriated officers, thus they called their colleagues numbering about 30, who all dashed towards the ‘station office’.
“The 3 of us were mercilessly beaten, we were thoroughly harassed, tearing our cloths in the process. They ceased our phones, profiled us as suspects and we were thrown into detention for more than 4 hours.
“After realizing the obvious overzealousness of their actions and the likely backlash, which was because they got to realize our profession, they brought us out, forced us to open our phones, thereby infringing on our privacy, accessed and deleted confidential pictures and videos after which they insisted and forced me to write an apology-like undertaking not to press charges, content of which was dictated to me by the officer at the counter.
“We resisted for more than 3 hours, until we threatened and grudgingly caved in at around 8:30pm, we wrote as they dictated and we were released without bail at around 8:45pm”
Reacting to the allegation, NSCDC spokesperson, in the state, Ayeni Olasunkanmi, denied, saying, “That was a lie from the pit of hell.”
According to the NSCDC, who seemed to corroborate Taofeek’s narration, it was an issue between two families who came for mediation.
Olasunkanmi however said, “While it (the mediation) was going on, a lady by name Tanwa came around, and she was displaying some unruly behaviour, insulting our officers as if she has no training from nowhere.”
Olasunkanmi said Tanwa was cautioned and asked to sit at the detention area.
“Later, some lawyer came in to appeal on her behalf, and she was made to write an apology letter. We will still get back to her. I’ve just been informed that she’s on social media ranting.”
When asked about the beating, the spokesman said, “Nobody beat her, she was not beaten. Let her come out with any evidence of beating.”
