Spread the love

Olamide Abiodun Thomas, a human rights advocate, has been stuck in police detention for three days without being charged in court.

FIJ learnt that the police fixed 10 am on Tuesday to take her statement in the presence of her lawyers.

Earlier, FIJ detailed how Thomas was arrested on Friday in Lagos State and denied bail. The police then moved her to Abuja on Saturday.

At press time, Thomas was in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force-National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) in Abuja.

READ MORE: Police Under FPRO’s Directive Arrest Rights Advocate Olamide Abiodun Thomas in Lagos

FIJ gathered that her arrest was likely connected to a video of Thomas hurling insults at Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and President Bola Tinubu after she was brutalised during a protest on October 20.

The police launched a manhunt long before she was eventually arrested. In November, they detained Lanre Shotunde, one of Thomas’ Facebook friends, in Ogun State in a bid to get to her in November.

Thomas, who is a member of the human rights advocacy group called Take it Back (TIB) movement, had also previously received strange calls from individuals who identified themselves as policemen.

Upon her abduction by the police in the Shomolu area of Lagos on Friday, she was denied bail at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, and was subsequently moved to Abuja.

Sanyaolu Juwon, a leader of the Take it Back movement, told FIJ on Monday that he had heard that she would be arraigned in court in the morning. However, she had not been charged by evening.

READ ALSO: INTERVIEW: ‘Police Arrested Me Because Someone in a WhatsApp Group Jokingly Called the IGP’s Target My Wife’

According to Juwon, Thomas’ lawyers were at the NPF-NCCC on Monday and may file the Fundamental Rights Suit against the police on Tuesday morning.

“Like Farotimi, the police have no case. They only needed to keep her in detention through extrajudicial means.

“Our lawyers will be there again tomorrow (Tuesday).”
The post Rights Activist Abiodun Thomas Stuck in Police Detention 3 Days Without Charges appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.