“Some officers of the respondent immediately drove the first to third applicants away to the office of the respondent situate at Gbongan-Osogbo Road while other officers and some unidentified men in masks descended on the vehicle I was driving, searched it thoroughly and, when they could not find any cash except the little money on me which they promptly collected, they started beating me and later took me to the office of the respondent where I met the first to third defendants already in custody of the respondent.
“We were detained in the open air at the office of the respondent till the early hours of the next day. It was at the office of the respondent that we were all later released.
“We returned to the Government House at about 1am of the 9th day of August, 2014, with the first to third applicants thoroughly traumatized while I was quite scared to drive back to the Government House as the whole city of Oshogbo was under siege imposed by heavily armed security officers who were seen brutalizing other road users at different places as we were going.
“Surprisingly on the 14th day of August, 2014, I was in my house in Lagos when I saw the spokesperson of the respondent, one Marilyn Ogar, on Sunrise programme of Channels television where she disclosed that the offence for which the first applicant, and a fortiori, all the applicants, were arrested, tortured and subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment was ‘loitering’.
“I know that unless sanctioned by this honourable court, the respondent will continue to indulge in such harassment, intimidation, detention, violation and crass impunity against other members of society and the applicants’ violated rights would be without remedies.”
[eap_ad_4]
