New York, August 31, 2007—Africans In America News Watch has information that the Lagos State Police command has formally jettisoned their policy of arresting ladies, accused of being ‘indecently dressed’. The policy has engendered much local and international criticism for the police, jeered at for molesting the weaker sex, while allowing armed gangs to operate uninhibited.

Lagos State Police commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar His men reportedly arrested poor females for indecent dressing while worst dressed affluent females were left alone; a clear case of class war. He however abandoned the operation and bowed under superior people’s power.

The Lagos Police High Command yesterday formally announced a ceasefire of hostilities against the womenfolk at a press conference jointly addressed by the Lagos State Police commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, the commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Supo Sasore (SAN) and commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele.
 
The joint press conference yesterday August 30, 2007 put the shameful and embarrassing drama to rightful end.

The State Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Olasupo Sasore said: “We won’t support the regular arrest of ladies in trousers by the police for no just cause. The government is aware of ladies being arrested and we hereby say that Lagos State Government is not in support of it. We also need the cooperation of Lagosians in order to stop the arrests.”

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele said: “The issue of crime fighting is more crucial than arresting ladies in trousers. The effort of past government on crime fighting must not be derailed.”

Feelers from the state police headquarters show that the police boss have realized that it is an infringement on the rights of individuals to arrest them based on their dressing. The police, it seems will now concentrate on fighting crime and providing security for the state.

The police in Lagos for some weeks have been arbitrarily arresting ladies in parts of the city. Many commercial sex hawkers were rounded up at various brothels in the city. There was also the indiscriminate arrest of ladies on roads and streets.

Some were taken to court and charged with disturbing public peace. Others were asked to pay a fine of N20,000. Those who could not had to spend a month in jail. There were unconfirmed reports of those who had to settle police with amount ranging from N2,000 to N7,000 and/or with their ‘bodily possession’ to avoid arrest and long detention in filthy police cells.

Africans In America News Watch investigations revealed that most of those arrested are stranded commuters going home from work while few may be commercial sex workers.

Brief chronology of events

Lagos police declared war on females

Females arrested by the Nigerian police openly disgraced for the press and the public. These poor women were taken before the magistrate and required to pay large sum of money before they could be released on bail. Those who could not afford the money remained in prison. Their offense: Some are; 1) staying out late at night, others are; 2) wearing mini skirt, aka improper dressing (Improper dressing?)

On August 2, 2007, the Lagos State Police Command paraded about 100 ladies it claimed were prostitutes arrested in criminal hideouts in the state. While parading the suspects for the press, the state police commissioner, Mr. Muhammed Abubakar, said the ladies were arrested in the night at their brothels.

Few days prior to the raids, the new commissioner of police in the state, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar had given a directive to his men that people found “idling around” be arrested in order to stem the rising crime wave in the city.

Following this directive, the police then went to town going about and arbitrarily arresting people in parts of the city for most ridiculous offences while very dangerous criminals such as armed robbers were killing, maiming and causing major havoc.

Policemen raided various bus-stops around Lagos State and arrested young females for what it described as ‘dressing indecently’.

Africans In America News Watch investigations further revealed that three days prior to August 2,  about four-man police team usually dressed in plain cloths would park a bus near the bus-stop at about various hours of the day and evening ranging from 3 p.m. into the midnight during the raid.

There were reports that the police had allegedly apprehended some ladies in skimpy dresses, including young boys wearing earrings and funky hairdos, however, some of those arrested who were able to ‘grease the policemen’s palms’ were quickly freed.

Suspects’ sides of the story expose the police

But, the arrested females had totally different stories:

“The police hierarchy appear to be more concerned about harassing, embarrassing, intimidating ladies dressed in skimpy clothes and arresting ladies suspected to be prostitutes,” said a student of Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, who was arraigned before an Ikeja magistrate’s court for prostitution, while speaking with reporters.

A textile worker at Oshodi who was also docked at the crowded court told reporters that she was on her way home when she was arrested at Ikeja by policemen who accused her of being a prostitute;

“They accused me of wearing a mini skirt and a short T-shirt. I told them that I had just closed from work and showed them my identity card but they did not listen to me. They took me to their station where I met some other arrested ladies. They called all of us prostitutes.

“At night, some of them will come and start touching our breasts and I was not a prostitute, but they wouldn’t listen,” the lady who identified herself as Chinwe Okorie narrated to reporters.

A mother of two who gave her name as Mrs. Chiegozie Albert said she was arrested along Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way Ikeja while going to the market.

“Their (Police) vehicle stopped beside me and they pushed me into it. They called me asewo (prostitute) because I was wearing jeans trousers and open top. I told them that I am a housewife but they didn’t listen to me. They took me to their Ikeja station and detained me along with other ladies, it was my husband who learnt of my arrest who came to bail me. He paid N5,000 before I was released,” she stated.

Two sisters, who claimed that they were just returning from their village said they were arrested at Ikeja and taken to the station and detained before they were taken to the court and charged for disturbing public peace.

Investigations revealed that many innocent Lagosians are being detained by the police in their stations due to their indiscriminate arrest of people on the roads and streets.

Public reactions ridiculed the state police command

The public, the press, commentators, and civil society both local and mostly the Nigeria international community (aka, Nigerians in Diaspora) among others engaged and tackled the police on this folly.

Elected officials led by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) a senior attorney in Nigeria, disassociated his government from the gender-biased arrests. The Governor went further to announce free legal services to free the affected ladies from the abusive grip of the bully police force, a position that clearly put the police in a very odd and tight corner.

Nigeria Police at their best or worst flip-flopping? ( Oh, poor police !)

Feeling totally isolated and standing without any support, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police denied knowledge that his men arrested female for indecent dressing.

After a shot while, on August 28, 2007, the Lagos State Police Command came out with hair-raising explanation that, “the recently arrested 73 ladies were apprehended in connection with crimes and not for indecent dressing”. Speaking to journalists in his Ikeja office, the Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Olubode Ojajuni said some of the arrested ladies were accomplices in various crimes. He said that some of the females were used by robbers as bait to snatch cars from motorists or to carry out other criminal activities.

He also debunked that the speculations that policemen were harassing and arresting ladies or women for offence(s) connected to obscenity or indecent dressing is nothing but a fallacy, which should not be regarded in any form.

He added: "In as much as there is no segment of the law or constitution which states how people should dress, it is therefore not the duty of the police to fight moral decadence or any indecent dressing menace. What we are statutorily mandated to do is to prevent crime and protect lives and properties.

" And for those who spread the rumor that police harass women around, it is an untrue statement because when we arrested about 8000 street urchins in recent time, nobody raised any eyebrow but when it comes to the arrest of women, they started criticizing the police and I am very sure, this is connected to their selfish interest. But whatever they do or say, the police are doing the work and it is strictly in accordance with the laws of the land."

While explaining how the female suspects were arrested, Ojajuni said that some of them have been convicted by the courts for various offences.

"What happened was that from time to time police review it operational strategies on crime situation. We brainstorm on the need to arrive at a more substantial and effective preventive operational strategies to combat crime and this is why the strategy adopted on a weekly basis varies" he added.

Africans In America News Watch investigations revealed that the Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Olubode Ojajuni did not convince many people.

Fall-out from Madam Speaker’s birthday party in the US

On this picture is Hon. Lawmaker from Lagos State in short cloths baring her upper laps and breast cleavage to baffled guests during birthday party held by/for Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, the Speaker of the Nigeria House of Representatives on Friday, August 17 2007 at her residence at Willes Vision Drive, Bowie, Maryland, USA. The honorable female lawmaker is a daughter to a very/mega rich man. What does Lagos State Commissioner of Police have to say about that?

While the heat was on the Lagos Police Command regarding the ‘luscious’ arrests which left some poor and economically disadvantaged females in various police detention cells in Nigeria, the Speaker of the Nigeria House of Representatives Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh took some elected officials, mostly females to Willes Vision Drive, Bowie, Maryland, USA. for her birthday party held on Friday August 17, 2007.

In that party, some female members of the National Assembly including representative for Surulere Federal constituency, (name withheld ) a daughter of a ‘filthy’ rich man dazzled the audience with perambulating catwalk in short flowing black skirt and a fitted transparent black top that allowed guests to peep into sensitive parts of their body.

The pictures from that party became public and there was public uproar and pressure on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to arrest the ‘perambulating’ ‘catwalking’ in ‘short flowing black skirt’ and ‘transparent cleavage showing black top’ dressed lawmakers from Lagos, Nigeria

Though the ‘indecent dressing’ and ‘lurid’ act took place in USA, the Lagosian lawmakers traveled with Nigerian passports, and any act committed by Nigerian overseas which brings bad reputation to Nigeria is enforceable by the Nigeria police, so they say at least.

The police saw the foolery of their actions

The police hierarchy must have seen that arresting poor and abject poor females for the same ‘act’ which they are unable to enforce on the elite female has a semblance of class war; pure and simple, hence the decision to ‘review the operation’ and hence the formal announcement abandoning it.

Winners

The winners are unquestionably democracy and reform process, reason and commonsense; the reform-friendly elected government of Lagos state is also a winner, the down trodden and poor masses, the civil society, the press and commentators who shouted so loud on the police, and the elite female (sacred cows) in position of power, of course are all winners.

This goes to show that society could collectively network to defeat the bully, only in a democracy.

There is, however, no looser here, really. Even the police will become winners too, after paying adequate compensation for illegal arrest and public humiliation to those poor females. Then they will be commended for bowing to the people’s power.

Suggested way forward and future plans

The police force will need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a strategy to investigate and identify those individuals actually committing crimes and then arrest them for those specific crimes.