Area D Command at Isolo Road, Mushin, Lagos

On Monday, 30 May 2022, the Area D Police Command headquarters at Isolo Road, Mushin, Lagos State, was thrown into confusion following the alleged arrest and detention of a female Magistrate, who reportedly visited the Command on a routine check of suspects in the cell by the Area Commander, ACP Aliko Dankoli. 

The Magistrate in question, (name withheld), was on a routine check at the command with her team to check the command cell as it was done in other Divisions and Commands across the State to check illegally detained persons in the cell and to give legal advice to the Police detained suspects.

The ACP was reported to have arrested and humiliated the magistrate, locked up in the cell accusing the magistrate of going to the cell to check detained suspects without his permission, which the Area D command second in command present at the scene claimed to have knowledge of their coming and permission.

This led to a serious disagreement and dhouting at each other between the Area Commander and the Second in command of the police command that took the intervention of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi, before the Magistrate was released.

It was gathered that this is not the first time magistrates were going to police Commands to perform such duties across the State in line with the policy of the Lagos State Judiciary, which partners with the Police over the congestion of Police cells in the State. 

It was alleged that on this particular day, the Area Commander with the DPOs within the Area D Command when he received information that the Magistrate came to the Command on a routine check of the cells said to be jam-packed with suspects. 

He was said to have become angry as he got up and ordered the arrest of the Magistrate and detention inside the cell to the surprise of the senior Police officers including his second in Command, who was said to be aware of the visit of the Magistrate to the Command. 

It was not certain if the matter has been resolved between the Police and the Lagos State Judiciary, which Magistrate for the routine duty at the Command. 

Mushines gathered that the Lagos State Judiciary was said to have moved into the matter and engaged the Police high authority over the matter to avoid such humiliation in the future.