In search of justice for the hapless and indigent, the Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights (CHSR) has petitioned the Executive Secretary National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Mr. Kayode Egbetokun Inspector General of Police (IGP) FCT, Abuja to expedite investigation on a matter of alleged brutality, unlawful detention and needless vilification of a widower Mr. Suraju Ashimiyu (Baba Ibeji) by a social media influencer Mrs.Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi).
The Civil Society group in its letters dated August 2 and August 5,2024 gave a trajectory of trump-up charges set against Mr. Ashimiyu with clear intention of keeping him behind bars for unfounded reasons.
According to the letters signed by the President of CHSR, Comrade Alex Omotehinse separately addressed to the IGP and the NHRC, Mrs.Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) having made an impression of someone who had come to ensure that the Ashimiyu twins and their late mother Mrs. Foluso Ashimiyu sincerely get the needed help turned a thorn in their flesh.
Comrade Omotehinse said in the letters that Mr. Ashimiyu Suraju, a widower and father of twins, cried to their office to register a complaint against a social media influencer, Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) who got him arrested and detained unlawfully.
The human rights activist stated further that Ashimiyu got arrested on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at his residence in Ifo Local government area of Ogun State by men of Nigeria Police Force from Ifo Police Division
“He said that his arrest was in connection with the alleged murder of his late wife, Mrs. Foluso Ashimiyu (Iya Ibeji) who died on Friday, April 19, 2024 after a brief illness at Ota General Hospital, Ogun State.
“He alleged that after spending 13 days at Ifo Police Division without investigation instead of taken him to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Eleweran, Abeokuta for a proper and due diligence investigation, he was transferred to Police Force Headquarters, Luis Edet House, Abuja, where he was detained for over 65 days at Maitama Police Division, Abuja without access to his families or trial.
“Mr. Ashimiyu stated that he and his wife, the late Mrs. Foluso Ashimiyu and their twins got enmeshed with cyber space influencers, when one Madam Jokotade helped the family to seek for funds based on the family financial challenges and she raised a lump sum of five hundred thousand naira only (#500,000), which she intended to use to help in ameliorating their challenges.
“He said that to the dismay of the family few days later, Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) knocked on their door and told them that the earlier cyber influencer (Madam Jokotade) had short-changed and cheated them on funds raised on behalf of the family, but she has come to put smile and succour to the family’s financial status not knowing to the family that she had come to inflict more hardship, pains and sufferings on their household.
“The victim posited that Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) has been pawn in their flesh since 2021 and that firstly, before his wife’s death, she got the husband arrested and detained more than four times in deferent police detention facilities through trump-up charges to avail her the opportunity to be in custody of his wife and the twins which she achieved based on her connections.
“The family said Mrs. Tolulope Odegbami (Olowosibi) always capitalised on the family’s vulnerability to intimidate and harass them with police without recourse to them or benefit,” he said.
Omotehinse added that Ashimiyu stated that Mrs. Odegbami once took the late Mrs. Foluso Ashimiyu to the Military Hospital, Yaba for a family planning injection without his consent, saying that by then Mrs. Odegbami detained him at SCID Panti on a frivolous allegation of him sleeping and impregnating a 14-year-old minor, lya ibeji.
The activist said further that Mrs. Olowosibi took the late Foluso and her twins to her personal residence in Ikorodu area of Lagos State where they lived for good three months without informing the family or husband, while the family was searching for their whereabouts until well-wishers who knew Iya Ibeji saw her.
He said that the woman then narrated her ordeal in the hands of Olowosibi and then collected her husband’s phone number from his colleague and called him to come and rescue them (i.e the deceased and her twins) from her Mrs Odegbami, Olowosibi.
“According to the victim/ husband, his late wife gave him a “save my soul” call, which he promptly acted upon to rescue his family without waiting for any back-up and unfortunately for him, Olowosibi mobilised OPC members within the Ikorodu area to physically assault and beat him to stupor that he came to her residence to kidnap the twins.
“But luck smiled on him when one of the OPC leaders later recognised him as after merciless beating, torture and molestation.
“Another blogger intervened by getting the family a befitting mini-flat apartment, fully furnished and equipped with a monthly allowance for feeding and that it became surprising to the family when they heard that the other blogger that assisted them whom they claimed the family had never met before, was also alleged as the murderer of his late wife, Foluso.
“In seeking justice for the 11 weeks unlawful detention and incarceration of Mr. Suraju Ashimiyu, his elder brother, Mr. Taofeek Asimiyu approached an Abuja High Court through a human rights lawyer, Barrister Pelumi Olajengbesi to file a case of abuse of fundamental human rights on behalf of Mr. Suraju Ashimiyu and was granted bail before the Nigeria Police released him from the unlawful detention,” he said.
The group then urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to give Mr. Suraju Ashimiyu an opportunity to go through their medium to narrate his story to the government so that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun could know the truth of the matter so that he “can set up an unbiased investigation team to look into the weighty allegation of this poor/indigent widower in the interest of justice as it’s obvious that he must have been misinformed or not properly briefed about this matter.”
CHSR also urged the IGP to set up and assign an unbiased investigating team that will do a due diligence investigation into the weighty allegation against the widower in the interest of justice.
“It is obvious that you must have been misinformed or not properly briefed about this matter and whoever is found culpable should be made to face the wrath of the law so that it can serve as a deterrent to other as the law says. It is better for 99 accused to escape than to convict one innocent individual.
“We also suggest that the matter be assigned to a Lagos State annex of the NPF, be it Zone 2 or FCID Alagbon, for easy access for the poor and indigent victim/complainant, who cannot afford the cost of going to Abuja and considering that no family member or relative is available at the FCT to provide shelter for him for the period of the investigation,” he said.