A Lagos-based widower and commercial bus driver, Adewale Oseni, has been left paralyzed after a brutal encounter with a police officer identified as Supol Akeem, also known as “Spider,” attached to Makinde Police Station, Oshodi. The incident occurred on July 14, 2024, when Oseni was returning home with food for his three children.
Oseni recounted that he was accosted by the officer around 10 p.m. despite pleading with him and showing the food he had bought for his hungry children. The officer, ignoring his pleas, allegedly struck Oseni with an iron baton on his leg, leading to severe injury. The father of three was subsequently detained overnight at the station, taken to court the next day, and sentenced to three weeks in Kirikiri Correctional Centre without a clear explanation for his arrest.
During his time in prison, the injury on Oseni’s leg worsened, and upon his release on August 10, he discovered that both his legs and wrists, where handcuffs had been tightly fastened, were severely injured. These injuries have since left him unable to work, making it impossible to support his children, who lost their mother just three months ago.
Oseni is now calling for justice, seeking the intervention of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Fayoade. He demands that the officer responsible be prosecuted and that he receives compensation for his injuries, which have rendered him unable to work.
The Coordinator of Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, Ebenezer Omejalile, condemned the police action, describing it as a grave abuse of power and a violation of human rights. He emphasized the need for justice and accountability in cases of police brutality.
Efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, for comments have been unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his phone have gone unanswered.
