Obaseki’s assault: Lawyer slams Edo Police commissioner Agbonika over investigation

By Editor

A lawyer and former student of Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, Mr. Rockson Igelige, has raised serious objections to the purported investigation being planned on the orders of the Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Monday Agbonika. Mr. Igelige stated that the police chief does not have the moral authority to investigate the matter since he allegedly took orders the palace before he could set Dr. Obaseki free from police detention.

“With reports in the media indicating that the Edo State Police Command, on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, has commenced an investigation into the assault, abduction, and unlawful detention of Dr. Don Pedro Agbonifor Obaseki,” the reknwoned entertainment lawyer, Mr. Igelige said. “I must state clearly and unequivocally that I oppose this arrangement, for compelling legal and ethical reasons.

“First, the Commissioner of Police in Edo State cannot, in law or in conscience, investigate a matter in which his own conduct has been directly called into question. Dr. Obaseki has stated that while he was detained at the police station, the Commissioner of Police visited him and indicated that his release would be dependent on obtaining “clearance from the Palace”. If this assertion is true, and it has not been controverted, then the Commissioner of Police is a material actor in the events surrounding the unlawful detention of Dr. Obaseki. One cannot be a subject of inquiry and, at the same time, supervise or direct that inquiry. That offends every principle of natural justice.”

Mr. Igelige further stated that those who abducted Dr. Obaseki and took him to the police station are still at large, noting that no police action has been taken against them to bring them to book.

“Second, the victim in this matter, Dr. Obaseki, was detained, while the individuals who brought him to the station are the same who abducted, assaulted, and humiliated him in public,” Mr. Igelige further argued. “These individuals ought to have been properly documented by law enforcement officers. Their particulars should be readily available to investigators. This alone raises serious questions as to why the victim was held while his assailants were not treated as suspects ab initio.

“Third, the notion that Dr. Obaseki required “clearance from the Palace” before his release is completely unknown to Nigerian law. The authority of the police to detain, release, or grant bail is governed strictly by the Police Act, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. These are the only legal frameworks that empower a Commissioner of Police to act. Moreover, Dr. Obaseki was not a suspect. He was a victim of kidnapping and assault. The question of granting him bail should not have arisen at all.”

Mr. Igelige therefore said that based on the above conduct of the police commissioner, whatever investigation is carried out would be a sham one that would not address the matter at hand. He therefore called for independent investigation at the instance of the Inspector General of Police to unravell what happened.

“For these reasons, I am convinced that justice will be gravely compromised if this investigation is left in the hands of the Edo State Police Command,” Mr. Igelige argued. “The appearance of bias alone is sufficient to vitiate public confidence in the process. We require an independent, neutral investigation conducted by authorities outside Edo State. The Inspector General of Police must immediately take over this matter.

“The facts are already in the public domain. The videos of the assault and humiliation have gone viral. The police are aware of them. The public has seen them. In these circumstances, the Commissioner of Police ought to recuse himself entirely from any investigation connected to this matter. Anything short of that will only deepen public mistrust and reinforce the belief that nothing credible can emerge from an internal Edo State Police investigation.

“Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done.”