Embattled blogger, Emmanuel Ojo, arrested, detained and charged to court by the Police over a Facebook post alleging that Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s wife was arrested in the United Kingdom for money laundering amounting to $300,000, tells BAYO AKINLOYE how he was assaulted by policemen
Since September you have been in the news both on traditional and social media platforms on the allegation that you defamed the wife of Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, Olufunso. What is your relationship with the couple?
Even though I have spent my entire life in Ogun State I do not know them personally.
Even though you do not have a personal relationship, have they offended you or your loved ones in anyway?
No. I do not see how that can be possible. I am just a young, ordinary citizen of the state, who is striving to live an honest and exemplary life.
What exactly led to your arrest by the police?
I will like to state clearly that the matter is before a court of law which should inform you that responses to your questions may be limited in scope. I was arrested concerning a story that went viral online which involved the First Lady of Ogun State. The accusation against me was that I maligned the image and personality of the governor’s wife.
Did you ever write that the governor’s wife was arrested in London over a $300, 000 money laundering allegation?
The case is in court. I’ll not want to comment on that.
When and how were you arrested?
It was a frightening experience. I was arrested on a Saturday. I had taken my pregnant wife to her grandfather’s house. But this is how it all started: after the story went viral concerning the governor’s wife, news filtered in to me that the state government was after me. My friends and family members reported strange faces moving around my house. I was urged by friends to stay away from home. I stayed away from Abeokuta, where I live, for two days. After which I returned not taking seriously what people said about my safety. Afterwards, I travelled to Abuja for a job opportunity. There, I received a call from my wife who told me to stay back in Abuja because three strange men came around to look for me. My wife stated that they looked and sounded suspicious. Following this, instead of the one week I planned spending in Abuja, I had to stay there for two more weeks. But leaving my pregnant wife alone at home did not make me feel comfortable. I headed back for Abeokuta after spending almost a month in the Federal Capital Territory.
Going back to where I started; my wife was with her grandfather making a meal for him while I sat in my car with the seat reclined. I noticed a wine-coloured car pass, slowing down as it did so. I watched the driver of the car from my side mirror. He was watching me too. But I ignored that. I was really exhausted on that day. The man drove back towards my car and stopped. He asked what I was doing with my car parked on the street. He also asked for my name which I told him. Then, he mentioned my surname. Having confirmed my name, he immediately got down from his car, said I was wanted. ‘Wanted for what?’ I asked him. Here was a man in mufti with no arrest warrant and for no reason wanting to pick me up. It was a lonely street and I was really scared. Before I could say Jack Robinson, he grabbed hold of my pair of trousers, manhandling me and trying to force me into his car. I struggled with him for a while and when I noticed he was going to overpower me, I screamed for help. At that point, my wife and grandfather-in-law came out to see what was happening. The man (who I later found out to be Katib Biliamin, the Chief Security Officer to the state governor) told my wife and her grandfather he was not under any obligation to explain why he wanted to arrest me despite their pleading for an explanation.
What happened next?
In the ensuing drama, suddenly, a police van pulled up beside us with three officers jumping out of the van. In the twinkling of an eye, I was handcuffed and whisked away. As the policemen were driving away, I heard them say, ‘Where are we talking him (that is, me)?’ I think the CSO later called them to take me to Ibara police station. There, I was treated like a soon-to-be condemned criminal. I was asked a barrage of questions on the accusation that I wrote something malicious against the wife of the governor. Later, the Investigating Police Officer informed me that my case had been transferred to Eleweran police station. But, before being transferred I was forced by the police to write a statement – I had wanted to do so in the presence of my lawyer.
At Eleweran, I was assaulted by some men. There was a man in mufti that I can only identify as ‘Philosopher’; he said: ‘Do you know who you are dealing with in this matter? May God deliver you!’ And to that I responded, ‘Amen.’ Then, the next thing I heard was ‘gbam!’ a swift and hard slap on my face that left me almost urinating in my pants. There and then, I knew I was in real trouble. But that was not the only time I was physically assaulted and treated like a criminal by the policemen. With the first statement written at Ibara apparently discarded, I was asked to write another statement. This time, the police were dictating to me what I should write in the statement which I stoutly refused to do. That drew their ire following which I was once again assaulted. There were a whole lot of intimidation going while the police held me in detention for 72 hours without being allowed to see my lawyer or loved ones. I think all their attempts were geared at leading me to implicate myself. For three days, I was not able to eat. I feared for my life; I was afraid of being poisoned while in detention. I spent three days in detention without being charged to court.
Were you told Mrs. Amosun filed a complaint against you for defaming her in your online post?
The whole episode of my arrest and travails at the hands of the police in Ogun was a curious one. I was never invited for questioning. I was never informed of any complaint laid against me. Thus, the question is who is the complainant in the case? The charge sheet presented to me stated governor’s wife as the complainant, curiously though it was the governor’s CSO who wrote a statement against me. I didn’t see the governor’s wife at the two police stations or the court I was taken to. I find the whole experience traumatic –not just for myself but also for my wife who is pregnant, my aged father and mother. I think the police only charged me to court following public outrage particularly from online media. They were forced to charge me to court because a lot of people spoke out against my continued detention. I was eventually charged to court and later granted bail.
Now you must feel like a free man again…
Far from it! Immediately I was granted bail by the court, reliable sources told me that plans had been perfected to effect my re-arrest. Without much ado, I had to disguise like a lady –I had on me gele, iro and buba to escape the clutch of those who want me arrested without trial by all means. So I fled Abeokuta to an unknown destination. I do not feel safe again. Sleep has become a luxury I cannot afford any more. It is pretty tough to cope with life after my arrest and detention.
Do you mean there are people still after you?
Yes. I do not know how dangerous these people are. Since I was released on bail, I have had to move from one location to another. Right now, my destination remains unknown to many people.
How is your wife coping with this situation?
I am sad and distraught that I have not been there for her and she is a mother-to-be. This is the time she needs me most. We have been married for two years and had yearned to have a baby. Now the baby is on the way and I have not had the time to bond with my unborn child. My wife needs me the most as being her confidant and best friend. My 75-year-old father lives in fear each day worried about my safety; the same thing is happening to my mother. Everyone’s living in fear in my family; they don’t know who to turn to.
Is there any other way you have been affected by this experience?
Yes. Because of being unlawfully detained by the police I lost two job opportunities. Also, not everyone wants to be closely associated with me out of fear of being intimidated, assaulted or arrested by security agents.
Some people believe you are working for opposition forces in the state. Is that correct?
I am a professional. I have no party affiliation, neither am I being used by any political organisation or individual. I urge anyone not to play with my life and that of my young marriage. I do not want anyone to drag me into any political scheme that may be happening in the state or anywhere.
You have gone to court to sue the police command in Ogun. Why?
I filed a case against the police suing in damages of N150m. The case has not been assigned to a judge yet. The Nigeria Police is a force to be reckoned with on the African continent. However, out of every 12 disciples, there is always a Judas. This case is about overzealous security officers who go out of the dictates of their responsibilities. It is to send a clear signal to the Nigeria Police that Nigerians are no longer living in a banana republic where rule of law is caged and the key thrown into the Atlantic Ocean. This is actually what I want to prove; what the police had done was an infringement on my fundamental human rights. It is paramount to address it – no one should take the law into their hand.
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