Pandemonium as Lagos Policemen Storm Newspapers Distribution Centre and Batter Sales Reps

Some members of the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos caused commotion in a community when they stormed the area and beat up newspaper sales reps.

 

Nigerian newspapers

 

Policemen attached to the Swift Response Squad in Osun State caused panic on Wednesday when they took over the newspapers distribution centre at Gbaemu area in Osogbo and beat up sales executives of various newspapers houses there.

 

Punch reports that the armed policemen mistook the sales executives for an estate agent they had set out to arrest.

 

The Secretary of Osun State Newspaper Distributors Association, Mr. Shuaib Abere, revealed to Punch that a lady, obviously sent by the policemen came and asked if there was any vacant room for rent in the building used by most of the newspaper agents.

 

Abere said the lady was shown some of the vacant rooms there but while coming out of the house, some armed policemen rounded him up and wanted to take him away.

 

The secretary said the policemen descended on Jide Aremu of Guardian newspapers with blows and kicks when he asked them what his offence was.

 

According to Abere, the policemen asked five of them to kneel down. He identified other victim of police assault as:  Lekan of Vanguard; Mr. Jimoh, Leadership sales representative and a boutique owner, Emeka.

 

He said, "We were here around 11am when a lady came to me and said  somebody told her that there was a vacant room here for rent.

“I showed her around the house, so, when I was coming out with her a policeman stopped me and said I was under arrest. I was surprised, so I asked him why he wanted to arrest me but he gave me no reason.

“Some other  sales representatives together with a boutique owner  were asked to kneel down  and before we knew what was happening, they had started beating up Jide. They even tried to arrest us but fortunately, they left us after discovering that they were in the wrong place.”

 

He added that the policemen drove to another building nearby where they eventually arrested an estate agent who they obviously came for.

 

He said the policemen were brought in a white Totota Hilux van but said none of the victim could get the number plate because they parked the vehicle at a distance.