Ekiti Kidnaps: Falana accuses policemen of complicity, seeks their transfer

As efforts continue to curb the rising spate of kidnappings in Ekiti State, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to redeploy some police officers from Ekiti State for cooperating with kidnappers in the state.

Falana made the call in a letter dated 19 May to the IGP.

The Lawyer who commended the IGP for dispatching a crack team to the state, said the current atmosphere of impunity in the state was aiding the rampant cases of kidnapping activities in the state.

The letter reads: “In the atmosphere of impunity which obtains in Ekiti State, armed thugs have been operating with the connivance of the state government. The police and the Department of State Service have been officially restrained from arresting the criminal elements.

“In the circumstance, they have unleashed mindless violence on innocent people. The criminal gang has since been joined by kidnap suspects who escaped from the Lokoja Prisons. Hence, the wave of kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes have reached an alarming proportion in Ekiti State.

“While commending you for drafting a special crack team to Ekiti State headed by a new Commissioner of Police, you ought to transfer some of the police officers in the Ekiti State police command for allegedly collaborating with some of the criminal gangs.

“And to ensure that criminal suspects who are arrested by the police are promptly charged to court, you should impress it on the Ekiti State government to enter into negotiations with the striking judicial workers with a view to reopening the courts without any further delay.”

The rights lawyer also pointed accusing fingers at past administrations in the state for complicity over political killings that took place during their time.

The letter reads further: “During the first term of Governor Ayo Fayose (2003-2006) there were politically motivated killings in Ekiti State. In several reports compiled by the police and the DSS the killings were traced to a killer squad funded by the Ekiti State government.”

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