The Kwara State Police Command has arrested the Special Assistant on Rural Mobilisation to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Musbaudeen Esinrogunjo for assaulting a traffic warden on duty along Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin.
A video clip of the governor’s aide caught by police officers with a cartridge and substance suspected to be a hard drug had gone viral on social media.
In the clip, Esinrogunjo was seen being beaten by some police officers who surrounded him, while he was made to display some seized items.
While the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ajayi Okasanmi, said he was arrested for assault and traffic offence, the state chapter of PDP called for the prosecution of the governor’s aide for alleged possession of hard drugs and ammunition.
Okasanmi explained that the former students’ union leader slapped the traffic warden after being caught committing a traffic offence by driving against traffic, thereby causing serious traffic congestion in the area.
“The attention of Kwara State Police Command has been drawn to a video clip making the rounds on some social media platforms depicting a scene of a man later identified as Comrade Musibau Esinrogunjo, being interrogated by a group of people over the recovery of some quantities of substance suspected to be Indian hemp and a cartridge wrapped in a paper,” the police said.
“He was also seen being slapped by an unidentified person. The Command wishes to set the record straight. The video in question was posted by a mischievous individual to achieve a result still unknown to the command.
What actually transpired in the day was that the man in the video later identified to be one Musibau Esinrogunjo was caught committing a traffic offence by driving against traffic, thereby causing a serious traffic hold-up at Ahmadu Bello way, Ilorin.
“The traffic warden on duty who arrested him for the offence was dealt a slap by Mr Esinrogunjo and his aide. Which drew the anger of passersby around the vicinity. They attempted to physically assault him, but for the prompt arrival of police officers that rescued and took the parties to the police headquarters, the closest police formation to the scene.
“A search conducted in the vehicle of Mr Esinrogunjo resulted in the recovery of a substance suspected to be Indian hemp and an item that looked like a cartridge wrapped with charm. The incident was looked into by a very senior police officer in the command, Esinrogunjo was later identified to be Special Assistant to the state governor.
“He was warned to desist from such behaviour in future and the traffic warden assaulted by the Esinrogunjo was pacified and asked to go back to his duty post, while Esinrogunjo was also released. The command wishes to reiterate that, at no time was the suspect Esinrogunjo arrested for being in possession of weeds or bullets,” the police said.
Esinrogunjo, however, gave a different account of what happened in his reaction.
He said, “I know during the cause as a loyal member of APC, some people weren’t happy with the way I championed the cause of ‘O to ge’ in Kwara state, and since then been looking for a way to bring Esinrogoju down forgetting the fact that I’m nobody, all I’m enjoying today is the grace of almighty Allah.
“This thing happened on the 15th of this month, how would Nigerian police treat someone like that? It happened the 3rd day after my birthday, I saw people saying it was a one way, it wasn’t a one way. It was a T junction, I saw the traffic warder hitting the body of the car, I now rolled down the car and asked him why he was hitting the car.
“The next thing he said was that you are mad. When he told me I was mad, I had to come down and asked him why he told me I was mad. It led to an argument between the two of us and he was the one that pushed me first.
“So some people who saw us apologised to me to leave the man alone, I went into the government house to have a meeting with the governor. After the meeting, inside the same government house, I saw about 70 Hilux full of policemen, not knowing they were waiting for me. They told me we should go to the station, I said no problem, I’m a friend of the police.
“When we got to the police headquarters, they didn’t even allow me to say one word, as I was getting down from the car, they started beating me. I expect them to release the full video of where all of them were beating me, why that of two or three people? They should have released the full video, they were dressed like SARS officials as if I was a criminal.”
But in a statement, Babatunde Muhammed, Chairman of Kwara PDP, called for the prosecution of Esinrogunjo, adding that the matter must not be swept under the carpet.
“The statement by the Kwara Police Command on the incident is a smoke-screen to hide the truth from the public. This attempt by the police to cover up for Esinrigunjo and shield him from prosecution is uncalled for and should be condemned.
“We are thereby calling on the police authorities to order proper prosecution of the governor’s aide. He must also be prosecuted for other infractions he has allegedly committed like breaking traffic rules and physical assault on a traffic warden,” the statement read in part.
