The General Manager of JAMZ 100.1 FM, Tony Awobode, popularly called Don T, got more than he bargained on Sunday when he was allegedly assaulted by the Divisional Police Officer, Eleyele, Ibadan, in Oyo State Police Command, sustaining injuries over a minor incident.
Narrating his experience to the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, Don T, said that he was coming from Ring Road axis and was heading towards Eleyele on a power bike when the incident happened.
According to him, “I headed towards Eleyele, which meant I was to turn left at the T-junction on the way to my route. But there was a heavy traffic congestion at Kilometre 110. However, I managed to get to the junction of Iyaganku.
“I was on the left side of cars because I was going to take the left turn in order to allow some of the bikes (okada) to move so I could also have a pass of way. I tilted the power bike’s steering wheel a bit. After the passage of two to three bikes, I tried to straighten the wheel, and while trying to do that for balance, the clutch of the bike slightly tapped the side mirror of the car beside me; no damage was done at all. Absolutely none.
“And in my exact words to apologise, ‘it wasn’t intentional…’ the man wound down and started raining insults with words like ‘mad’, ‘stupid’, ‘crazy’, ‘foolish’. I repeated, ‘it wasn’t intentional’.
“Before I knew it, he stretched his hand out of his car and held my jacket, while he continued the insults. I got pissed, so I gave his exact words back to him. Then those in the car with him joined in the insult. He then told them to come down and hold me, and started shouting ‘call the police!!! Let them arrest this man!’
“He eventually managed to get out of the car, and, this time, grabbed my neck. I was shocked, really shocked, at how the whole situation had so fast degenerated to the point where he had to grab me by the neck. Keeping my cool, I told him he could call whosoever he wanted to call, I wasn’t going anywhere, but asked him to loosen his hold on my neck. I was already getting choked.
“While that was happening, I noticed that one of the guys with him went to the power bike, and took my phone from the bike’s mount. So it was a dilemma. I told the guy to please return my phone, while I was telling the man to please leave my neck. And because he wasn’t letting go of my neck, I told him I was going to count five. I did, he still didn’t let go.
“Suddenly, the next thing I got was a punch right across my face. That wouldn’t have been possible if I was shielded with my helmet, but it’s a modular helmet. Just so he could hear me, I had lifted the front part leaving my face exposed. As if that wasn’t enough, he still yanked off the helmet and rained multiple blows across my face.
“I blanked out, and the bike fell, with that leaving me with injury on my leg, which I tried avoiding – the reason I held on to the handlebar since the whole drama started.
“Eventually, I was taken to Iyaganku police station with the bike, a stone’s throw from the junction where the whole drama took place. It was there I got to know that he was a Divisional Police Officer, Eleyele, which even got me more perplexed. I could not get down with the fact that a senior police officer will use power in this manner.
“Without mincing words, it is a clear case of misuse of power. If it continues like this, I’m afraid Nigeria is headed for anarchy. But when justice is served, it will speak volume about the character of leadership in the police system and the general sanctity of the heart of our justice system.
“It becomes really worrisome when those who are to protect us are our very oppressor. Then it makes me to ask: how democratic is our democracy? And how is our rule of law? Do we keep quiet and let oppression reign, while the whole situation gets chaotic again? Or speak up, so justice could be served, and we have something worthy to pass on to coming generations? I will choose the latter because, in an oppressive system, we all are awaiting victims.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council has condemned the assault on Awobode by the Eleyele Police DPO and his men.
The state chairman of NUJ, Demola Babalola, who said that he was taken aback by the whole development, called on the State Police Commissioner, Ngozi Onadeko, to institute a probe into the matter with a view of getting justice for the assaulted journalist.
Calls put through to the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Adewale Osifeso, went unanswered as at the time of filing this report.
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