Bayo Akinlade, Convener of the organisation, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, while reacting to a trending video of men, women and a child held together in a single cell at Maroko Police Station in the Lekki area of the state.
A group, Duty Solicitors Network, has asked Nigerian police to desist from indiscriminate arrest and detention of Nigerians in Lagos State or anywhere else in Nigeria.
Bayo Akinlade, Convener of the organisation, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, while reacting to a trending video of men, women and a child held together in a single cell at Maroko Police Station in the Lekki area of the state.
The viral video, shared on Monday by a user identified as Oyindamola (@dammiedammie35) on X platform sparked outrage after a lady, who introduced herself as “real omo,” claimed that the police had detained her and several others, including men and a young boy, in the same cell.
The woman in the video voiced her distress, stating, “Men and women are together in the cell. See small pikin [sic] with children. We don’t know what to do. You people should come to our aid, we are at the Maroko Police Station. We need help right now.”
The lady alleged that she and others were arrested while walking in an unspecified area in Lekki during a raid.
“Yesterday night, they picked us, they arrested us. They said we could not walk because they were raiding. How am I supposed to know they were raiding in Lekki? I’m a victim, please, this is real omo. They said I’m going to prison, for walking in the night! This is too much for me to bear. Does this make sense?” she asked in frustration.
The video also showed visible damage to the walls and an open roof within the holding area, further fueling concerns about the condition under which they were being detained.
However, Duty Solicitors Network cautioned the police over indiscriminate arrest and detention, asserting that Nigeria is not a police state.
It noted that people are free to conduct their lawful business at any time of the day and night, adding that it is their right to have the police protect them while going about their lawful human endeavours.
The statement reads, "DSN received several posts regarding the lady in the Maroko Police Cell and we were asked to look into it and investigate its authenticity.
"I was confident that the NBA Lagos Branch Human Rights Committee, headed by the Vice Chair of the branch would act on the issue and report back and she did.
"I have considered the report of the NBA Vice Chair, I have watched a follow-up video of the woman who allegedly made the viral video thanking the police for assisting her even though it was the same police that put her in the worrisome position in the first place and finally, I have considered the excuse given by the police themselves through its PPRO.
"I will not engage on who is right or who is wrong but the following is clear and these questions should be asked; Can the police arrest people on the streets without following due process?
"The Administration of criminal justice Law of Lagos State prescribes conditions and circumstances for arrests...were these conditions followed strictly by the arresting officers?
"Recently, the Nigerian police has been going around arresting people and accusing them of wandering...is wandering an offense because I am beginning to wonder now.
"Is the police station in Maroko supposed to look like a den for miscreants?
"Were there no chairs for these people to sit on that we saw them on the floor?
"There is no report that anyone of those in the video were actually committing a crime at the time of arrest.
"I have concerns which are yet to be addressed by the police and the Attorney General of Lagos State. Let me be clear, we have received credible reports that the Nigerian police is raiding citizens and extorting them and their families for money.
"It is a fact that this is going on with the full knowledge of the government and the Judiciary at the mobile courts, otherwise why have we continued to see great numbers of poor people and even others at police cells with the word "wandering" on the crime boards?
"We continue to sweep the dirt under the carpet but one day the carpet won't be able to hide the dirt.”
"The police should desist from indiscriminate arrest and detention in Lagos State or anywhere else in Nigeria for that matter. Nigeria is not a police state, we are free to conduct our lawful business at any time of the day and night and it is our right to have the police protect us and not arrest us while going about our lawful human endeavors," the statement added.