Lagos Police Deny Detaining Men, Women, Child In Single Cell

The Lagos State Police Command has refuted allegations that men, women and a child were held together in a single cell at the Maroko Police Station in the Lekki area of the state.

A viral video, shared on Monday by a user identified as Oyindamola (@dammiedammie35) on X.com, 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, in response to the viral claims, spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to debunk the allegations.

Hundeyin clarified that the individuals were only kept in a holding area, which allows officers at the charge room to maintain visibility of detainees.

He emphasised that once transferred to proper cells, detainees are separated by gender, and their phones are confiscated.

“That is a holding area, where they are visible to officers on duty at the charge room (counter). Once they move into the cell proper, they are properly separated and they would not even have their phones with them,” Hundeyin wrote.

In an accompanying video shared by Hundeyin, five males and five females were seen standing with their backs to the wall. The officer narrating the video explained, “This is an open cell. These are children roaming around the streets that ran away from their houses. The residents of Lekki brought them to the station, and most of them, their parents have come to take them over [sic]. They have only been kept in an open cell at the back of the charge room.”

The video showed the charge room and the passage leading to the male and female cells, where the officer stated the detainees “decided” to stay.