PUNCH Metro learnt that the mobile
policeman, Attah Aninoko, on Thursday dragged down Ogundele from an electric
pole opposite the house and beat him up for disconnecting power to the house of
the former IG.
Ogundele’s leg was allegedly broken by the
sergeant, who was reported to have boasted that “nothing will happen.”
The matter was said to have been reported to the
police at the Ikoyi division and the sergeant was arrested.
The Head of Corporate Communications Department,
Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Mr. Godwin Idemudia, who
confirmed the incident, said the sergeant had been detained.
He explained that the house of the former IG owed
a bill of N154,693.85, adding that the name on the bill was one Yusuf.
He said, “What we do is that anytime customers
don’t respond and pay their bills, we go out with copies of their bills. When
we get to their houses, we tell them what they owe and ask if they had made any
payment in the last 24 hours. If they can’t produce any evidence of such, we
disconnect their electricity.
“That was what we did in this case. We had two of
our vehicles working in the area on that day. On getting to the house around
12noon on Thursday, October 19, a man came out and we asked for evidence of
payment because we discovered that the house owed over N154,000. When he
couldn’t produce it, we said we would disconnect the power. The man flared up.
“The mobile policeman came out, and while our
official was disconnecting the power from the pole, he ordered him to come
down. In fact, he dragged the official down and beat him up. In the process,
the official sustained injuries and his left leg was broken.”
Idemudia said because the policeman was armed,
other officials of the electricity distribution company were helpless and could
only watch their colleague being brutalised.
He said policemen from the Ikoyi division were
alerted and the cop was arrested. Ogundele was said to have been taken to a
hospital.
“When he was taken to the station, he started
boasting that nothing would come out of the case.
“We believe that nobody is above the law. The
case should not be swept under the carpet. The Divisional Police Officer has
assured us that justice would be served,” he added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde
Famous-Cole, denied that Ogundele’s leg was broken, adding that the power
company was being mischievous.
He said, “This people know that the property
belongs to a former civil servant and they are just trying to be mischievous.
“They came and said the house owed some bills and
before the residents could go in to bring out their record, they had cut off
power. There were policemen in the area and they tried to intervene.
“There was nobody that suffered any broken leg or
any injury. Care should be taken not to damage the good name of the former
civil servant. The DPO is trying to mediate and the case is under
investigation.”
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