Lagos lawyer petitions IGP over alleged unprofessional conduct of 3 officers

A Lagos lawyer, Mr Gabriel Giwa-Amu, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IG-P) Mr Alkali Baba to investigate three officers attached to Zone 2 headquarters of the Nigeria Police at Onikan, Lagos.

Giwa-Amu wants the officers investigated for alleged unprofessional conduct by presenting themselves as debt collectors.

In the petition, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday, the lawyer listed the officers as superintendents of police.

Giwa-Amu alleged that the officers arrested a lawyer, Mr Ben Amu, on Feb. 14, tortured and detained him for three days over a case in which the police had earlier exonerated him.

The case was based on two petitions written against the lawyer by a client of his over a property deal.

He explained that in 2020, Amu sold a landed property to the client in the sum of N158 million.

An attempt by the client to take possession of the property was, however, thwarted by tenants occupying it.

He explained also that the client reported the matter at the Zone 2 headquarters of the police where it was amicably settled after the lawyer refunded an initial N50 million to his client.

The petitioner stated that in February 2023, however, the three police officers against whom, he wrote the petition constituted themselves into debt collectors on behalf of the lawyer’s client, arrested and detained him illegally.

“I urge the IG-P to use his good office to cause a proper investigation into the matter and ensure that justice prevails,’’ Giwa-Amu stated in the petition.