Arrested UNILAG student, Femi Adeyeye, others forced to confess to cultism
Rusticated University of Lagos (UNILAG) student Femi Adeyeye was arrested by the school management and detained overnight at Alpha Base – UNILAG’s “police headquarters”.
Three other persons Tomi Aina, Olufela Olalekan Keko and UNILAG graduate Lateef Olawale were also arrested and detained.
They were transferred to Sabo Police Station where an officer allegedly pressured them into confessing they were cultists. Another officer also explicitly demanded for a bribe before the detainees were released.
“An officer told us we must include in the statement that we are cultists,” Aina told NewsroomNG.
Adeyeye and the two other detainees confirmed this.
“But we resisted the pressure and told the officer point blank we wouldn’t confess to being what we’re not,” Aina continued.
“We are innocent and have been brought here on trumped up charges so this whole thing is baseless,” he said.
Adeyeye told our correspondent they stated only what transpired on the night of their arrest by UNILAG authorities.
“We were at UNILAG main gate on Wednesday night when a security officer asked us to move out of the way,” he told our correspondent.
“He said we were blocking the pedestrian entrance. When we hesitated, he dashed towards us and grabbed Olawale like a criminal. He started manhandling him and the situation almost degenerated into something else.”
Adeyeye told us he photographed the officer involved and proceeded to report him to his bosses at Alpha Base as he refused to release Olawale who was left with a reddened bruise in his abdominal region.
When they got to Alpha Base and the officers saw Adeyeye, who had been rusticated for criticising Vice Chancellor Prof. Rahman Bello, they decided to detain the four “suspects”, we gathered.
We understand the VC and acting students dean Dr. Karo Ogbinaka were aware of the incident. Ogbinaka didn’t respond to our repeated phone calls.
“There is no case against these people,” a UNILAG security officer who doesn’t want to be named told us. “It is because of Adeyeye they were detained.”
“You were criticising the VC and now the VC has caught you,” another officer was reportedly overheard saying about the suspended student.
The four “suspects” were transferred to Sabo Police Station on Thursday morning where officers were reportedly instructed by UNILAG management to “charge them to court for engaging in acts that could lead to breach of public peace”.
“We have no case against the detainees but we have to do as the school management instructed,” a police officer told our correspondent. “Only a call from UNILAG’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) can save them.”
Then our correspondent called CSO Shehu. He came to the station and “negotiated” release for the detainees.
“Don’t be distracted by the smart manner the CSO negotiated their release,” a UNILAG source later told us.
“The management decided to thread the path of caution and wisdom only after realising the media were interested in the case. Students even wanted to protest in UNILAG today after hearing of the development.
“How do you think people would feel if they heard the VC, after victimising Femi (Adeyeye), ordered him arrested and prosecuted on a baseless accusation?”
After the CSO’s intervention, the detainees were released on bail. Some UNILAG students were also at the station to show support for their friends.
After the papers were signed, everyone expected the detainees to be released but an officer at the front desk with name tag “Marcus” said that wouldn’t happen “until you people give us something”.
Students refused bribing the officer stating that “bail is free”. Adeyeye and the others were released.
The detainees were, however, mandated to sign an undertaking that they would not circulate photos of UNILAG officers who “harassed” Olawale – photos, we gathered, police already deleted from Adeyeye’s phone.
“But we don’t know if you people already transferred the photos elsewhere,” an officer was overheard saying.
The detainees were also told to state they would never write or say anything critical of the UNILAG management.
“We signed the undertaking under duress,” Keko said after leaving the police station.
He said Nigerian students and other concerned citizens would go ahead with the Independence Day’s One Million Man March to demand end to student victimisation in the country.
The October 1 march is being organised by the Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA).
Recall Adeyeye and 10 other UNILAG students were suspended for the role they played in leading their colleagues for demanding life’s necessities, like water and electricity, from UNILAG authorities.
Scores of other students currently suffer the same fate in higher institutions across Nigeria. ANSA says such victimisation must end.
