A rather bizarre scenario is currently playing out at the Lagos State Police Command over the dismissal of two police Inspectors suspected to be dating each other.
But the officers have been given seven working days to appeal their dismissal.
The affected officers are Inspectors Adedoyin Damilola with AP/NO 289317 and Makanjuola Modupe with AP/NO 234465, who served at the Bariga Division prior to their ordeal.
The woman Inspector, Modupe Makanjuola was accused by the Divisional Police Officers (DPO), SP Joshua Gbadegeshin of sleeping with his colleague, Inspector Damilola even as he had the intention of going out with her; an accusation the woman inspector denied.
However, it was gathered that the distraught DPO, who allegedly told the woman Inspector that he hadn’t asked any woman out in his life without success, vowed to see to the exit of her and her male Inspector friend out of the police force.
Afraid that the DPO might make good his threat to dismiss them, they jointly wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police Lagos State Police Command dated August 21, 2023, accusing the DPO of threat to life, conduct likely to cause breach of peace and unprofessional act unbecoming of a senior police officer.
In the petition, the woman Inspector evidenced amorous WhatsApp messages to her from the DPO, which she turned down, including giving out official arms and police camouflage to civilian relatives to go on operation against police Act.
In the meantime, the DPO has written a strongly worded petition to the Commissioner of Police citing dereliction of duty, gross insubordination and disobedience to lawful order against the two inspectors; an action which resulted in their orderly room trial.
“But the Provost Marshall then called us and advised us to write a letter of withdrawal to the petition against the DPO on the ground that he is our senior and that the matter will be amicably settled, which we did on January 5, 2024, not knowing that it was a ploy to nail us.
“We later got to know that both our DPO and the Provost were course mates,” the woman Inspector said.
Continuing, Inspector Modupe added: “Before the coming of Gbadegeshin as DPO Bariga, I have served three other DPOs without any complaint. I enlisted into the Force on July 1, 2002 and had worked at various formations.”
“The moment SP Gbadegeshin came to Bariga was when I started having trouble. He told me he wanted to go out with me, which I subtly declined on the grounds that I was married.
“I told him I had grown up children, some are even giving birth, but he insisted that he must see what is in my buttocks or see me out of the force.
“He further accused me of sleeping with Inspector Damilola, stressing that he had nothing to offer me. Even when I told him that we were simply colleagues, he refused to believe me.
“On several occasions, he would default me and detain me in the cell for no reason. As if that was not enough, he placed me on Indefinite ‘standby’.
“When the situation became unbearable and I had no male friends in the Division again for fear of being accused of sleeping with me, I cried to the woman Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Admin (ACA) at the Command Headquarters Ikeja who helped and transferred me to Alagbado Division.
“But even after the signal came out, the DPO refused to release me until the ACA had to call our Area Commander then before I was released.
“I left to my new posting last September, only for the present Provost Marshall to call us again this year that we had matters to settle and another orderly room trial started for a matter that we had resolved and a letter of withdrawal to the petition written.
“After the trial, we were told we had seven working days to appeal, that’s where we are now. I want Nigerians, especially the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, to look into this matter dispassionately.
“To be sent out of a Force I had served for 20 something years because I refused to open my legs for a DPO, sounds awkward.”
But for Inspector Damilola, his ordeal with the DPO started with his close association with the said woman Inspector.
“One Sunday in April 2023, ASP John called me that the DPO wanted to see me I hoped there was no problem and he said no, that he simply asked him to call me.
“So, I went to his office and gave him the normal compliments. He said he called to ask about my relationship with woman inspector Modupe and I said nothing, that we were simply workmates.
“He shifted from his sofa, brought out his personal AK 47 Assault rifle put it on the floor and asked me to cross the gun and swear to die by gun in the next seven days if I didn’t sleep with the woman inspector this night.
“I said Oga, this is unprofessional, how can I cross your gun for something I didn’t do? He was screaming at the top of his voice that I was contesting his woman friend with him.
“Even Supol John, who told me that the DPO was calling me, was shocked at the weird scenario. Supol John said, ‘oga this is turning to something else o, if I had known I would not have called you’.
“I told him I will not cross the gun. Since then he started victimising me. Severally, he would default and detain me in the cell for days; sometimes with armed robbers.
“He would send me on a special duty, come to the place and detain me. I was placed on ‘standby’ till further notice. The situation became rife when the said woman inspector left last year and he called me and said, ‘you have made my woman leave my Division, I will make sure both of you leave the Force’.
“When the Federal Government wanted to renovate the Third Mainland Bridge, he posted me there on permanent duty. For the period the renovation lasted, I was there with the workers and the DPO will visit there thrice a day to make sure that I was there.
“When the Bridge was reopened, I resumed duty and he saw me and asked if I was just coming to work and told him there was traffic on my way, but he refused to listen to me. I was bundled inside the cell and my Andriod Spark Tecno phone which I bought for N75,000, which contained photographs of his civilian relative in police camouflage bearing AK 47 rifle and incriminating evidence against him was seized from me.
“As I speak, my phone is still with him. It was therefore, shocking for the present Provost, who we learnt is also a course mate to our DPO, to again invite us for an orderly room trial in a matter that had been settled since early this year.”
But reacting, SP Gbadegeshin said he was not authorised to speak to the press over the matter, saying the matter was duly investigated before the action was taken.
“Sir, I am not authorised to speak to the press on Police matters. The matter you referred to was the subject of thorough investigation by Area Commander ‘H’ and a painstaking Orderly Room Procedure sequel to a strong petítion to the office of the Commissioner of Police. You may contact the appropriate authorities for further clarifications,” he added.
When contacted, the command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin said he was aware of the matter, adding that if they were asked to appeal it means they have been dismissed from the force, but there were other options to be explored.
“I know the matter, is it not that case involving one old woman inspector and a young guy? I am aware. If they are asked to appeal, it means they have been dismissed from the force, but the grounds for the dismissal may not be too strong. But there are other options to be explored,” he said. (Guardian)
