Residents: How Lagos CP detained widow and her children — and shut down Magodo Brooks Estate

Magodo Brooks Residents Association (MABRA) says contrary to the claim by the police, the security guards arrested were trying to help Hakeem Odumosu, Lagos commissioner of police, with directions within the estate.

They said a widow who was passing by with her three children was arrested with her three children and detained.

On Saturday, the police commissioner, who was attending a social event at the estate, ordered the arrest of four security guards for their “refusal to allow” him into Brooks Estate situated in Magodo.

He, subsequently, ordered the arrest of one Adebola Fatiregun, a female resident and her three children, for intervening in the matter. 

Adekunle Ajisebutu, Lagos state police spokesman, had said in a statement on Sunday, the CP visited the estate on Saturday to meet a “strategic partner”, but was refused entry by some private security guards, even after being formally introduced.

Debunking this claim, the residents of the estate under the auspices of MABRA said the security guards had no prior knowledge of the CP’s visit and were arrested in their bid to assist him with directions. 

According to a statement signed by the estate’s public relations officer, the CP’s action resulted in the complete shutdown of the estate as residents were unable to come in or go out, owing to the arrest of all the guards on duty.

“The Executives of MABRA will like to apologise to all residents who were delayed in the traffic jam caused by the social visit of the commissioner of police, Hakeem Odumosu on the 1st of January, 2022 to our estate,” the statement read.

“At about 6pm yesterday evening, Odumosu entered our estate to attend a social event at the instance of one of our residents. 

“It was quite a busy day in the estate yesterday as many residents had ongoing social events. 

“The estate security operatives on duty, having not had prior knowledge of Mr. Odumosu’s visit and in a bid to assist him with directions to the house of his host, sought to ascertain the particular resident he was visiting.

“The commissioner interpreted this act as an insult on his person and ordered the immediate arrest of all the security operatives on duty even after gaining access into the Estate to attend the party.

“A resident who happens to be a widow that was passing by with her three children was also ordered to be arrested alongside her 3 children by the commissioner of police. Her offense was that she tried to intervene to understand the situation.

“The Executives, represented by the vice-chairman and the publicity secretary, after being briefed of the situation, proceeded to the party to apologise on behalf of the security operatives for any disrespect caused to the commissioner and plead for the release of the resident, her three children and the security operatives. These pleas fell on deaf ears.

“At this point, the executives, members of the estate security committee, the estate CSO and some residents had converged at the estate gate to plead with the commissioner on his way out with the hope that his anger would have subsided after enjoying the party.

“To our amazement, the commissioner came down from the car on his way out, said he was insulted by our estate and further instructed that the remaining security operatives who replaced the arrested ones should also be arrested.

“This resulted in complete shutdown of the estate as no one could go in or come out as our estate gate is automated and the operatives with the access token were all arrested with the token. This further resulted in the traffic jam that occurred on CMD Road for over 4hrs.

“Pleas from different angles were made to the Commissioner with no yield until about 11pm when he finally gave in. The estate was finally able to bail the security operatives who were already put in cell, the resident with her children who were put behind the counter at about 11:30pm.”