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27-Year-Old Missing After Osun DPO Allegedly Brutalised Her
A 27-year-old mother of two, Blessing Mba, has been declared missing days after she accused the Divisional Police Officer of the Adeeke Police Station, Iwo, Osun State, CSP Ige Adekunle of brutalising her.
Mba reportedly left her house, which is opposite the concerned police station on Sunday evening with her sons.
The Osun State Police Command spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed that Mba was supposed to meet with the State Commissioner of Police on Sunday at the Command headquarters but she ran away while she was been escorted by the Police.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that Blessing and one of his sons, around 9:30 pm on Sunday, left home hurriedly with a bag and she has been unreachable since then.
Blessing was on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, allegedly brutalized by some police officers on the order of the Divisional Police Officer.
She said the incident happened when she had gone in search of her son, 15-year-old Monday, who had not returned home and was found to have been detained by the police.
Blessing said she was at the station when a police officer identified as Àpápá assaulted her and accused her of carrying ‘sacrifice’ to the station.
“We will kill you, shoot you and nobody will ask of you,” Blessing said the officers threatened her while she was pleading for her life until she fainted.
“They poured water on me and I woke up,” she added.
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Blessing explained that the DPO, Adekunle, gave her N2,000 while she was leaving the hospital and another N2,000 in the evening.
Blessing said the DPO later gave her N15,000 and took her to the hospital again to treat her leg after she moved to report the case to the Police Area Command in Iwo.
Some sources in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity said they live in absolute fear of the DPO and his officers in the area.
Meanwhile, one Comrade Ibrahim Nurudeen, who claimed to be a human rights activist and member of Advocacy for Justice, has blamed the victim for speaking with a journalist while also making efforts to stall the publication of the story.
According to the activist, he told the Area Command to hold on to the matter for investigation or prosecution. He further told this reporter that unknown police officers attacked Blessing, and not the DPO.
“We told Area Command to hold on the case. I have all the medical tests of the victim and made sure the DPO paid for her treatment,” he said.
Sources said Nurudeen had on Sunday asked for the woman. An eyewitness said three men on Sunday evening came looking for Blessing at home claiming to be working for an advocacy non-governmental organisation.
When confronted, the acclaimed activist denied knowing anything about her movement.
“It is true that I was looking for her on Sunday but I just want to ask her about how the report got out. I don’t know anything about her missing,” he claimed.
Reacting to the development, the police spokesperson, Opalola said the CP had ordered the involved police officers to be detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
She added that the DPO was also summoned by the Commissioner of Police to report to his office on Monday, while effort is ongoing to get the woman.
“Notwithstanding, the CP has ordered the policemen involved to be detained at the State CID, while the DPO, CSP Adekunle Ige was told to report at the CP’S office this morning. The DPO has been issued an official query this morning. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to get the woman,” she said.