He noted that the Police Force had a cyber section responsible for that, adding that if a police officer suspected anything, they would take the person to the station so the phone could be searched.

A Sunday statement by the management of Melody FM, 107.7FM, signed by Kunle Babarinde, noted the CP said this when he visited the radio station at Iyana-Ipaja on Wednesday.

He commended the radio station for its efforts to provide the public with information.

Kayode reaffirmed that bail was unrestricted while urging the public to expose corrupt police officers.

“If you feel you have been cheated by a policeman or a policeman engaged in corruption, kindly report the policeman to his DPO. If the DPO is not forthcoming, report to the Area Commander. I believe your case will be solved but if you still feel cheated, please report to me directly. My phone number is open to all Lagosians,” the statement quoted the CP as saying.

The CP also said, “No policeman has the right to beat citizens. You, the people, are the government’s employers; your taxes support us. Thus, we have to treat you with the appropriate decency.”

“On the issue of searching phones, no policeman has the right to search your phone. If a policeman suspects anything on your phone, he will take you to the station to search the phone. We have a cyber department that deals with all that,” he added.

The CPs and Deputy Commissioners of Police had appeared before the commission for promotion interviews, a condition mandatory for their promotions.

The spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement on Thursday said the PSC approved the promotion of the CPs to AIGs alongside 19 DCPs to the substantive rank of Commissioners of Police, 21 Assistant Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners as well as 33 Chief Superintendents of Police who were elevated to the Assistant Commissioners of Police cadre.

The 12 CPs promoted to AIGs are, Ogundele Ayodeji, CP Niger State; CP Patrick Edung, CP Courses Police Academy Wudil Kano; CP Badru Lawal; Deputy Commandant, Police Academy Kano; CP Bartholomew Nnamdi Onyeka; CP Benue State; CP Suleiman Yusuf; CP Taraba State; CP Idowu Owohunwa; CP Lagos State and CP Rhoda Olofu; CP PAP Western Ports Lagos.

Others are CP Godwin Aghaulor; CMDT Police College Kaduna; CP Effiom Ekot CP Jigawa State; CP Stanley Kanayo-Chukwu Ude; CP Intelligence and Investigation, Interpol Abuja; CP Longe Patrick; CP Osun State and CP Ndu Anene, CP Admin Research and Planning Force Headquarters.

The 19 newly promoted Commissioners of Police are; DCP Shehu Abubakar; DCP Lawal Ayodeji; DCP Shelleng Yusuf; DCP Emmanuel Agene; DCP Alonyenu Iduh; DCP Vungmoh Kwaimo; DCP Danjuma Aboki; DCP Jude Azuka; DCP Dan-Sabo Idi; DCP Ibitoye Olajide and DCP Adamu Isa.

Others are DCP Usman Hayatu; DCP Christopher Emmanuel; DCP Nwanosike Okocha; DCP Johnson Adenola; DCP Olanrewaju Ishola; DCP Joseph Eribo; DCP Miller Dantawaye and DCP Henry Uche.

The newly promoted Deputy Commissioners include; Ime Udofia, Isyaku Sharu; Benjamin Abang; Mohammed Abubakar; Mohammed Ahmed; Dauda Ayuba; Moses Gana; Ikechukwu Nwosu; Promise Udeh and Okey Nwabufo.

ACP Inuwa Muhammed (Airwing) and ACP Agbo Usman were promoted to Deputy Commissioners while CSP Okunbo Onyinmeare; Victor Iwuamadi; Adenuga Salami and Isibhakhomen Ijiomah (Medical Doctors) were some of the specialists promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioners.

The new Assistant Commissioners are Jacob Egede; Godwin Oti; Chike Ibe; Daniel Akpan and Michael Mbatam amongst others.

SPs Tina Amadi; Egbede Moses; Danjuma Dantani; Benjamin Kurya; Hussaine Abdullahi; Mba Bartholomew; John Ayah; Sanusi Danlami; Asinim Butswat, Police Public Relations Officer Bayelsa state; Command; Dieke Josephine; Mohammed Musa; Idris Gumel and Ernest Abia were some of the Superintendents promoted to Chief Superintendents of Police. DSP Isah Abubakar was promoted to the next rank of Superintendent while ASP Kingsley Ani and Shehu Salisu were promoted to Deputy Superintendents amongst several others.

The Commission further approved the promotion of 265 Superintendents of Police to Chief Superintendents; 59 Deputy Superintendents to Superintendents and 4750 Assistant Superintendents and another 146 Assistant Superintendents omitted during the May 2022 promotion exercise elevated to Deputy Superintendents.

For the Specialists cadre, the Commission approved the promotion of two Assistant Commissioners of Police; one from Airwing and the other from Forensic to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners; 47 CSPs comprising 23 Medical Doctors and 24 Veterinary Doctors were promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioners of Police.

One hundred and Ninety Superintendents of Police from the Computer Info-Tech Unit; another eight from Works; one workshop; twelve transport; two forensic; two handwriting; one ballistics; one religion and one Veterinary Doctor were also promoted.

Forty-seven Specialists of Assistant Superintendents of Police rank and of different Units were promoted to Deputy Superintendents.

The PSC Chairman, Solomon Arase, charged the newly promoted Officers to embrace a new policing culture that is hinged on a people-friendly approach that respects the fundamental rights of the citizens and warned that they should desist from involving themselves in civil matters or trumping up false allegations against the public “as such conduct will not make them win the hearts and minds of the people which will deprive them of credible information from public-spirited individuals when dealing with internal security issues.

He further commended the acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun for collaborating with the Commission in ensuring that for the first time in a very long while, the promotions permeated all the departments of the Force.

“This singular act I hope will motivate the workforce to give back their best in ensuring that issues of crimes and criminality are properly dealt with”. He reminded them that they should remember that benefits and burdens go together adding that the good gesture of promoting them to the next rank should be a motivation that will ignite the indomitable fighting spirit which the Police have been known for throughout the years,” Ani quoted Arase in the statement.

The PSC Chairman further noted that while the Commission pushes for improved welfare for the officers, the police officers should reciprocate by conducting themselves within established laws and rules guiding the Police Force.

Owohunwa said this in an interview with Arise TV ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections slated for Saturday in the state.

MC Oluomo, in a viral video, had allegedly threatened that those who would not vote for the ruling party, the APC, should stay at home.

In the video, MC Oluomo said, “Please tell them, we have begged them. If they don’t vote for us, it is not a fight. Tell them that Chukwudi’s mother, if you don’t vote for us, sit down at home. Do you understand? Sit down at home.”

However, the Lagos CP said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms any act, statement, or an action that could be interpreted as hate speech or that could be interpreted as deepening political tension regardless of the brain that might be behind it. With regards to this specific video you mentioned, it is currently a subject of a detailed investigation.”

“Of course, we are deploying our cyber security access to solve that. And, I can assure you that nobody is above the law. This country is regulated. Anybody that tries to use his position, or his influence on others to deepen hate, or engender political tension which could, of course, snowball into violence, it remains the responsibility and the mandate of the Nigeria Police to investigate such cases.

“This specific one you mentioned will not be in isolation. It is already a subject of review. And it will be in the interest of the actors behind it and all others that might wish to also engage in such ill-informed, indirect action to be very careful, to be firmly warned because in the fullness of time, the full law will take its course and it will be not different in this instance if established.”

The suit was filed through their lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN).

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police was the sole respondent in the suit.

Kassim and Aliyu, in the suit, applied for the enforcement of their rights to personal liberty, dignity of person, right to private and family life, as well as right to freedom of movement.

They told the court that they were unlawfully arrested and detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ikeja, following a complaint that was lodged by their step-mum, Mrs. Adebisi Abiola, after the robbery incident.

Specifically, the applicants prayed the court to declare that “their arrest without warrant and subsequent and continuous dehumanization and detention since the September 2, 2020, by operatives of the respondent on the alleged complaint of one Mrs. Adebisi Abiola, is illegal, unlawful, wrongful and constitutes a blatant violation of the Applicants’ fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 35 (1) (4) & (6), 37, 41 (1), 44 (1) and 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, Sections 2, 3(1) (2), 17(1) (2), 18 (1) (2) (3), 19, 21 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, Lagos State, 2015, and Articles 5, 6 & 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Ratification and Enforcement Act Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“A declaration that the arrest and subsequent dehumanization and the continuous detention of the Applicants since the 2nd September, 2020, by operatives of the Respondent on the alleged Petition/Complaint of one Mrs. Adebisi Abiola, without granting them administrative bail within24 hours of their arrest, are illegal, wrongful, unlawful and constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 35 (1) (4) & (6), 37, 41 (1), 44 (1) and 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, Sections 2, 3(1) (2), 17(1) (2), 18 (1) (2) (3), 19, 21 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, Lagos State, 2015, and Articles 5, 6 & 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Ratification and Enforcement Act Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“A declaration that the Applicants are entitled to public apology and adequate compensation from the Respondent as provided for by section 35(6) and 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, Sections 2, 3(1) (2), 17(1) (2), 18 (1) (2) (3), 19, 21 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, Lagos State, 2015, for the blatant violation of the Applicants’ fundamental rights without following the due process of law.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondent whether by itself, its agents, employees, operatives, detectives, investigating officer(s), or by whatever name called, from further inviting, arresting or detaining the Applicant on the facts of an alleged Petition/Complaint made by one Mrs Adebisi Abiola, in relation to a purported or alleged robbery incident to which they know absolutely nothing about”.

As well as, “An order of this honourable court directing the Respondent and his operatives and agents to release forthwith the Applicants from the detention of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, detention center of the Respondent.”

Aside from demanding for an apology, the Applicants equally asked for an order to compel the Respondent to pay them N100million as exemplary damages for the “wanton and grave violation” of their fundamental rights.

The applicants told the court that they were discriminatorily singled out as a result of a complaint by their step mum, which accused them of complicity in the robbery.

They told the court that though Police had since conducted several searches at their apartments, nothing incriminating or connecting them with any alleged stolen item belonging to their step mum was found.

Insisting that they were illegally arrested without warrant, the applicants maintained that Police lacked the constitutional right to keep them in custody for more than 24 hours without an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

In a 21 paragraphed affidavit that was deposed to by Ubong Ikon, a Litigation Clerk in Chief Ozekhome’s Chamber, in support of the suit, the applicants, alleged that Police officers forcibly broke into their homes and arrested them with seven other people.

“The applicants were tortured, totally humiliated, dehumanized and terrorized, with a crowd of people swarming the premises to witness the ugly scene in the home of MKO Abiola, the former Presidential aspirant of the Social Democratic Party”.

The applicants averred that they were informed that their arrest was as a result of a complaint by their step mum to the effect that a robbery incident took place in their home.

“That suspected armed men invaded the residence and carted away valuables, including money.

“That the applicants were thereafter roughly man-handled and bundled into the operatives’ vehicle and sandwiched between fully armed operatives of the Respondent, while one of them drove them like convicted criminals to the office of the Respondent.”

They described the suspicion of their alleged involvement in the robbery as “completely false and malicious in its entirety”.

They averred that the allegation was “meant to disparage their persons and their immediate nuclear family, not being biological children of the Complainant.”

The deponent further averred that the Applicants are also students that are about to travel abroad to the United States of America for further international studies.

“That their being singled out for continuous detention and torment is simply because they are not the biological children of the Complainant, Mrs. Adebisi Abiola, as her own children and aides staying in the same premises were left untouched.

“That the applicants are in a very pitiable condition of mental agony and psychological depression, having not been in such an environment before and especially as they insist they are innocent of culpability in the alleged robbery.

“That the applicants are ready and willing to stand trial if and whenever they are arraigned for any offence since investigation has long been concluded by the Respondent’s operatives, but are merely being subjected to ridicule, harassment, degrading treatment and torture”, he added.

Meanwhile, the applicants also filed an ex parte motion and an affidavit of urgency, wherein they prayed the court to hear their case within the ongoing vacation period.

When the case came up yesterday before the Ikeja High Court vacation Judge, Justice Abiola Soladoye, Messrs Chimaobi Onuigbo and Ejieke Onuoha, holding the brief of Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, passionately prayed the court to grant bail to the detainees due to their poor health and lengthy detention period in the SARS dungeon since September 2, 2020.

The Judge however directed that the Commissioner of Police who is the sole Defendant in the matter be put on notice about the suit.

She consequently adjourned the matter to the October 15, 2020 and ordered that the file be returned to the Assistant Chief Registrar for re-assignment to a non – vacation Judge, for hearing.