The Kwara State Police Command on Tuesday explained reasons a dismissed army officer, ex-Lcpl Blessing Egbogwu is still in her custody. The dismissed officer was alleged to be a suspect in a robbery case.
While countering a media report that went viral recently captioned: DISMISSED SOLDIER WITH BABY DETAINED IN KWARA STATE, the command Public Relations Officer, Dsp Okasanmi Ajayi said the story as reported is actually standing truth on its head and a ploy to get an unmerited public sympathy.
Okasanmi said: "The fact of the case is that, the dismissed soldier, ex-Lcpl Blessing Egbogwu is a suspect in the case of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery in which other arrested suspects have been charged to court and remanded in prison custody.
"On 12th of November, 2019, when ex-Lcpl Blessing Egbogwu was finally released by the army for prosecution, she was brought to the command with a 2 months old baby. Since the offence of armed robbery for which she was being taken to custody is not normally bailable, bail consideration for her was therefore not an option. Out of options available, she chose to stay in detention with her baby."
The statement said, the law allows a detained nursing mother to stay in custody with her baby provided the baby is less than 18 months, adding that the suspect was however detained in a separate cell away from other detainees and was provided with all necessaries for her comfort and the comfort of the baby.
He also clarrified that on the 15th of November, 2019 which was the date of adjournment of the case that was already in court, ex- L/cpl Blessing was taken to court to join other co-accused persons in the case. Worthy of note is the fact that the case is being prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice at the High Court and the police has no power to grant bail in this circumstance.
"It is preposterous for a lawyer who knows the legal procedures in cases of this nature to expect police to release a suspect whose case is pending at the high Court and to which a motion of bail had already been filed in the high court by the same lawyer. The lawyer obviously intentionally came out to distort the facts to discredit the Police.
According to the command, the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, Ag CP Kayode Egbetokun has consistently maintained that people who deliberately distort facts to mislead the public are destroying our society. He will therefore not allow these distortions to pass, especially as it impugned on the image of the force.
The Command also use this opportunity to once again reiterate the fact that Kwara state Police command frowns at all acts that bother on illegality and will not spare any of her officers that engages in any unprofessional conduct.
The statement however advised members of the public to always cross check their facts before going public with any allegation.
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