Outrage as police detain eight-year-old boy, mother for reporting teacher

The arrest and detention of an eight-year-old boy for two days at a police station in Ajuwon area of Ogun State has sparked outrage by members of the public against the police. Oyindamola, a pupil of Prospect Primary School, Akute, was allegedly “abducted” by his teacher and a police officer on Wednesday and detained at the Ajuwon Police Station.

Mother of the pupil, Mrs. Nimota Omole, who attempted to bail her child at the police station, was also thrown into the cell. The Guardian gathered that the teacher, simply identified as Mrs. Oni, is the wife of the police officer that effected the arrest.

‎Sources said the teacher maltreated Oyindamola at school and the pupil reported her to his mother, who subsequently stormed the school and complained about the assault. After the mother left‎, the teacher was said to have descended on the child again and beat him several times for daring to report her to his mother.

A source close to the school told The Guardian that after school hours, the teacher and her ‎police husband went to the house of the pupil and forcibly took him to the station. When Mrs. Omole returned from work about 10p.m., neighbours told her about the ordeal of her son and she hurriedly left for the police station to ascertain what had happened.

The child’s father, Mr. Olalekan Omole, who confirmed the incident, told journalists yesterday that his wife was also detained when she showed up at the police station for her son’s bail.

His words: “At 6:30pm, the teacher and her husband, who is a policeman, went to our house and forcibly took my son. They used Okada to pick my son. All this happened because of the influence of the teacher, whose husband happened to be a police officer at the station. I had to consult a lot of people to help me wade in and get justice for my family. But today (yesterday), at about noon, my son and my wife were yet to be released by the police.”

Omole, who expressed dismay at the decision of policemen to detain an innocent minor, said he had contacted his lawyer to take the matter up. When contacted, the State Police command’s spokesman, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said he was yet to be briefed about the case, but assured that he would investigate and get back to journalists.

Culled from Guardian.Ng