The robbery suspects who allegedly robbed banks
in Ikorodu have told the Federal High Court in
Lagos that the confessional statements they made to
the police were not voluntary.
Their lawyer Olusegun Akanbi is also praying the
court to order the police to produce them if they
He said the suspects “made confessional statements
to the members of the press out of duress”.
He argued that it is illegal for the police to parade
criminal suspects and have them grant press
interviews under compulsion.
The lawyer is praying the court for an order
compelling the police to produce the four suspects
in court because their families were denied access
to them.
The accused persons are Agbojule Bright, Promise
Abiwa, Monday Omoboye and Monday Ikuesan.
They were paraded on July 6 in connection with the
robbery of the Ipakodo branches of First Bank and
Zenith Bank in Ikorodu.
The police said they were part of an 18-man gang
which made away with about N80million in the
robbery on June 24.
The four suspects had reportedly confessed to
playing different roles in the alleged crime while
three Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) allegedly bought
with the robbery proceeds were recovered from
them.
Akanbi claimed that the police violated the suspects’
right to remain silent or to avoid answering any
questions until after consulting with a lawyer in line
with Section 35(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
According to the lawyer, the suspects may not get a
fair trial since they have “already suffered prejudice
in the eye of the public due to unfair publicity and
unprofessional acts of the defendants.”
He claimed that the police refused to allow him or
the suspects’ family members to see them in
detention.
“The applicants’ counsel were not allowed to see the
applicants or even to have a brief interview with
them when they visited the defendants on 15th July
2015.
“The applicants’ constitutional rights under Section
36 of the 1999 Constitution are at stake because
the defendants have already taken a biased position
by denying the applicants’ family or their counsel
their right of visiting them in police custody.
“It will be in the interest of justice if the applicants
are brought before this honourable court so that
the court can ascertain whether the applicants are
still alive.
“It will be in the interest of justice if the applicants
can be charged by the defendants to court since
they have already spent over 24 hours in custody.
“Failure to do this will amount to usurpation of the
constitutional powers of the judiciary,” the lawyer
argued.
He claimed that the suspects were entitled to
N5million damages for what he described as their
unlawful detention.
Justice Mohammed Yunusa adjourned to September
7 to enable the Inspector-General of Police
Solomon Arase respond to the suit.
TheNation
TheNation
