On July 5, officers attached to the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police arrested Ridwan Oke, a lawyer, for questioning them after they broke traffic regulations.

Oke, who played an important role in the release of several detainees during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, was later released after the intervention of Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesman of the police in the state.

He was initially beaten and arrested for challenging police officers who were driving against traffic on a one-way street, leading to a traffic gridlock.

FIJ has now obtained an audio recording of discussions between him and the officers while he was being taken from his residence on Abeokuta street, Ebute Metta, Lagos, to their station.

READ MORE: ‘They Dislocated My Finger and Drank Gin’ — ‘EndSARS Lawyer’ Ridwan Oke Recounts Ordeal in the Hands of Law-Breaking Policemen

Oke told FIJ that after the officers slapped and dragged him into a commercial vehicle popularly referred to as ‘danfo‘, he began recording the ordeal as he feared for what they might have done to him.

‘NA CHARGE AND BAIL LAWYER, HE DE SELL SPARE PARTS FOR LADIPO‘, SAY DRUNKEN POLICE OFFICERS

In the hour-long audio recording made available to FIJ, some of the officers can be heard hitting Oke as he writhes in pain.

At some point in the recording, the officers made a stop to purchase some alcoholic drinks. Afterwards, one officer can be heard saying, “My head no correct like this”, a remark presumably caused by the resultant intoxication.

Other remarks made by the officers included, “This one no be real lawyer, na charge and bail lawyer na. You no know say na police de make you chop?

“I know am na, he de sell spare parts for Ladipo.” Another officer replied this, saying, “This one no get shop, na all those people wey go carry you go another person shop.”

The officers used other unprintable words, and accused Oke of calling them mad when “we dey do operation”. They then asked if he would have acted the same way if they were soldiers.

WE SAW THE WHOLE THING, I CHASTISED THE OFFICERS BEFORE THE LAWYER CAME — WITNESS

When FIJ visited the area to speak with witnesses, some of them who were present at the scene on the day of the incident said they had also challenged the officers over their conduct.

Omoshalewa Ade-Martins, a shop-owner in the area, told FIJ she was in her shop when she noticed a convoy of six police vans, including one danfo, heading in the wrong direction.

She said, “I was inside my shop when we started hearing sirens. When I came outside, I saw the man (Oke) standing, I don’t know if he wanted to go out, but I saw him outside,” she said.

“There was traffic gridlock. People aren’t meant to pass here on two lanes; it is a one-way, and the police caused the gridlock by passing the one-way in the wrong direction.

“It was like a joke when people were initially chastising them. They were using about six vehicles; they had seized some motorcyles. Many people had been questioning them earlier.

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“A police officer then asked this man, ‘are you mad?’ and he retorted, ‘You are mad’. That was when it escalated and became a heated scene. They slapped him, beat him and they just took him away to their station.

“I tried telling them that he was a lawyer, and he has his own rights too. They replied me that he does not have respect for the police.”

THEY LAUGHED WHEN I CONDEMNED THEM, PUNCTURED TYRES AFTER — WITNESS

Another shop-owner who simply identified herself as Peju told FIJ she did not know the lawyer, but she had been chastising the officers before his arrival.

Peju said, “They were coming from one end of the street, and it is a one-way street. I was the first person to condemn them.

“One particular officer was laughing when I said it. That was when the man (Oke) came out and also condemned the officers.

“Then one of them said he was mad. He (Oke) did not respond at first, but one officer said it about three times, then the lawyer replied that they were mad.

“Three of them then came down and started beating him before they took him away. They even punctured people’s tires, and said they did it because the car owners parked on the road.”

WE ARE INVESTIGATING, LAGOS POLICE TELLS FIJ

Speaking with FIJ, Hundeyin said the Lagos State Police Command was investigating the matter.

He said, “I cannot give you an update on the investigation, but I can confirm that investigations have commenced.

“Oke has submitted his statement, and the police officers have been invited. We are investigating.”

This report was produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation