Zainab Duke, a human rights activist, and her two domestic staff were arrested for allegedly assaulting and brutalizing a female officer.
Muyiwa Adejobi, the force’s spokesperson, revealed this in a statement issued on Thursday.
He identified the officer as Teju Moses, an inspector assigned as an orderly to the activist.
On Wednesday, a video of the brutality went viral, with the incident allegedly taking place in Abuja’s Area 11 axis.
The orderly was discovered seated on the floor, with blood stains on her face and uniform.
Blood flowed from the left side of her forehead as she sobbed in agony, fighting for her life. All she kept asking was to be taken to the hospital so she could be saved.
“She told her boys to kill me,” she said incoherently over the phone as she requested permission to be taken to the hospital.
Nigerians have since condemned the brutal act on social media.
Mr Adejobi, who also shared photos of two people in police custody, responded to the incident by saying the activist and two of her domestic staff had been arrested, while one other staff member was on the run.
According to him, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, has ordered that the case be prosecuted immediately and that all police personnel associated with the activist be removed.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc, has strongly condemned the heinous assault on a female police officer, Inspector Teju Moses, by her principal, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola, a legal practitioner and human rights activist, and her domestic staff, one Rebecca Enechido, and a male suspect who is still at large.”
“On Tuesday 20th September, 2022, Zainab Duke, a Mbaise born activist, grievously assaulted her orderly in the company of some accomplices at her residence in Garki, Abuja, due to the orderly’s refusal to breach professional ethics by performing menial and domestic chores at her house.”
“As the preliminary investigation shows overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of the Professor and her domestic staff, the IGP has directed the express prosecution of the arrested suspects who are currently in Police custody.” The IGP has also charged the investigative team with ensuring that the fleeing suspect is apprehended and brought to justice.
“It is important to clarify that the suspect, Prof. Zainab, who names the IGP, his family members, and other officers in the Force’s top hierarchy, has no acquaintance with the Police in any form, contrary to what has been widely circulated on social media.”
“The Inspector-General of Police, who similarly ordered the withdrawal of all Police personnel attached to the Professor, expressed dismay that an individual claiming to be an advocate for Human Rights could stoop so low to violate the rights of another individual, a police officer tasked with ensuring her protection,” the statement said.
