LIB Exclusive: Lagos state Task Force officials accused of brutally assaulting two sisters for filming their operation

On Wednesday 8th February, 2017, Lilian Ifemeludike and her foster sister, Sewuese Matthew (pictured) , were allegedly assaulted by officials of the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, on Durosimi-Etti Drive, in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. Why? Sewuese used Lilian’s mobile phone to film the rowdy operation of the officials as they seized products and machines from petty street traders.

If you recall, in September 2016, LIB reported about how some young Nigerians were manhandled and sexually harassed by officials of the Lagos State Task Force (See here). This drew the attention of the Governor, Ambode, who sent a formal request to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, asking for the redeployment of some police officers attached to the Unit. (Read more here)

Speaking exclusively to Linda Ikeji's Blog, Lilian Ifemeludike revealed how her planned productive day turned horrible as the officials battered her and her sister, smashed and seized her phone and were able to convince their Chairman, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, to detain them over night and take them to court without administering first aid to the injuries they suffered. Read below...

I'm Lilian Ifemeludike, Sewuese Matthew is my foster sister. On Wed 8th of February, I realized I had a flat tyre. I had a meeting with my United Nations Women Empowerment mentor. We were planning for a training event for women from low income families and uneducated women. To train them on skills acquisition, financial and digital literacy...so that they can promote their brands, products and services online and basically, learn how to use the necessary tools and skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.

The security guard alerted me to the fact that I had a flat tyre, so I just had to drive urgently to the next vulcanizer along Durosimi-etti drive. Lekki Phase 1. My Foster sister, Sewuese Mathhew was with me. When we got there, the vulcanizer loosened the tyre and was checking if it picked a nail or something was loose. We were there when Lagos state Task Force team with some mobile police men stormed the area and were confiscating goods of other people. They came to the vulcanizer and also seized his machine. I went on to plead with them to let him fix back my tyre, as he had already removed it, so that I can leave. I pleaded with so many of them. I would go to this one and plead, he'll shout and rant. I'll go to another one but it was the same response.

The next thing, my sister comes to me crying. She was away from me but also at the scene. The scene had gotten rowdy, people were running, some were trying to guard their goods, so there was already chaos. People whose goods were confiscated were trying to beg and in the midst of this, she started filming. She came to me crying that a mobile policeman had punched her in the eye and collected my phone. I looked at her and saw that she already had a bloodshot eye and a broken lip. I asked about my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge) and she said the guy had collected it and she doesn't know where it was. I looked on the ground and saw it. Apparently he had thrown it down. I took the phone and also led my sister to meet their team leader as they had left the scene and were going down to another location to continue their operation. As they saw me coming towards them with my sister, they started turning towards us and demanding for the phone. I held onto the phone but they kept on insisting and I started pacing backwards into a grocery store by my side. Before I knew it, they kicked me to the ground and started throwing punches at me but I held tightly on to the phone. During their assault, Sewuese came for me and was crying, saying 'Leave my sister'. She ended up getting most of the punches. They later successfully collected the phone and got into their van.

I didn't know where they were from and I wasn't going to leave my phone with them. We entered the van so that we'll find out where they were heading to. At some point they wanted to go to Ajah Police station but they turned suddenly and decided to head to their office in Oshodi. When we got there, they had apparently informed their boss, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, that they arrested us. When he came, Immediately he saw Sewuese, he asked 'Who did this to you?' . He also asked me what happened and I told him the whole story. He ordered his men to call back the officials responsible (as they had left the office immediately). He asked them what happened and they just told him in one minute that we were abusing/insulting them and they arrested us. I told him that that was not what happened. However, he flared up, accused us of molesting his men and said: 'I will deal with you. Detain them and charge them to court. They will go to prison.'

They won't even let me call anybody. Even when I was able to get my lawyer through my sister (as i had her number by heart), they won't met me see anybody. It was obvious that Mr Olayinka was bent on dealing with us like he promised. The next day, he charged the case to court. We were able to meet my bail conditions. My sister, Sewuese, however wasn't able to meet hers. The person (surety) who was to take her on bail was not able to process all his paperwork that day. I had to rally around to get all the paperwork. They took my sister to Kirikiri prison without treating her wounds, without even giving first aid even though she had bloodshot eyes. It was until the next day that we discovered that her hand could not even move. No first aid, no treatment, no checkup..Nothing. She got properly treated when she was released on Friday after being in pain from Wednesday. I had to take her to a private hospital. The next day, we went to General Hospital and they said that they were not going to treat us if we didn't get a police report. They eventually gave us a Police report at Ajah and then we went back to the hospital for proper treatment and also a medical report.

The case by the Task Force was adjourned to the 28th of February (Next week Tuesday).