Some suspects declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command for the murder of a former chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Azeez Asake, have accused the police of not following proper procedures before declaring them wanted.The suspects made this accusation in a statement signed by their solicitors, Oluwa-Oreagba Chambers, on Wednesday, October 15.
The police in Lagos had on Thursday, October 14, declared the suspects- Mustapha Adekunle, Fatai Alli and Fatai Olori- wanted in connection with the murder Ashake, who was killed a few minutes after President Goodluck Jonathan held a rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
The statement reads in part, “Our attention has been drawn to a publication wherein our clients were declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command on the allegation of conspiracy and murder.
“The documents made available by our clients show that on the day of the alleged incident, they were neither on Lagos Island nor anywhere near. While Adekunle was in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, attending a burial, Alli and Olori were in their various houses in Surulere, Lagos.”
The wanted suspects, through their solicitor, added that they were within the reach of the police for any interrogation, and wondered why they were being declared wanted as though guilty.
“A youth leader, Mr. Ashipa, who was arrested by the police and later granted bail was alleged to have masterminded the killing of Asake, and is bent on prevailing on the police to arrest and detain our clients.
“We hope the police will not allow itself to be used. While we admire the efforts of the police at bringing the perpetrators of such heinous crime to justice, we are sad that the police had played to the gallery by hurriedly declaring our clients wanted when in actual sense, they were a phone call away,” the statement added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the suspects had yet to come to the police for questioning, adding that their explanations were needed to prove their innocence or otherwise.
He said, “If some suspects have been declared wanted, they have to appear before the police, and answer to the charges. That is the appropriate step. If they have genuine reasons, they should be willing to explain them to the police.
“Till now, we have yet to see these people. There is no problem with them writing a petition through a lawyer, for they have a right to be constitutionally represented. But then, they also have to come forward to the police for questioning. It does not mean they are guilty or otherwise.”
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