Crime
Falana petitions Lagos Chief Coroner, demands inquest into alleged killing of Police Inspector by soldiers
A renown legal practitioner in Nigeria, Femi Falana, has petitioned the Chief Coroner of Lagos, Justice Mojisola Dada, demanding inquest into the cause of death of Inspector Monday Orukpe of the Ojo Division of the Lagos State Police Command, allegedly killed on August 3rd, 2022, at the trade fair section of the Lagos Badagry Expressway by some privates of the Nigerian Army.
Falana in a letter dated January 5th 2023, signed by Taiwo Olawanle, on behalf of the Falana and Falana Chambers, recalled “the brutal killing of one Inspector Monday Orukpe and torturing of four others, all of the Ojo Division of the Lagos State Police Command”.
The letter complained that “precisely on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, it was alleged that about thirty Privates of the Nigerian Army while on transit at the Trade Fair section of the ever-busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway attacked five policemen for stopping vehicles along their lane to pave way for other vehicles to pass.
“Angered by this development, the soldiers heavily descended on the senior officer leading the team of policemen and eventually murdered one Inspector Monday Orukpe and injured four others.”
Falana noted that save for the maturity and skill of the officers of the Nigeria Police Force involved, the event would have left many injured and killed, including innocent civilians going about their normal business activities.
He declared: “having regard to the avoidable tragic incident, we humbly request you to use your good offices to cause a thorough investigation into this allegation and fish out the members of the Nigerian Army who carried out this uncivilized act on the personnel of a sister security agency carrying out their constitutional mandates.
“… we humbly request you to use your good offices to cause a coroner’s inquest to be conducted into the cause of the death of this police officer and make appropriate recommendations under Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007 which provides that an inquest shall hold whenever a coroner is informed that the death of a deceased person within his Coroner District is as a result of a death in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation.”
The inquest letter reads:
January 5, 2023.
The Chief Coroner,
High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Your Lordship,
REQUEST FOR AN INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF INSPECTOR MONDAY ORUKPE KILLED AT THE TRADE FAIR SECTION OF THE LAGOS-BADAGRY EXPRESSWAY, LAGOS ON AUGUST 3, 2022
We are a firm of legal practitioners committed to the defence of human rights, rule of law and public accountability in Nigeria.
Our attention has just been drawn to the brutal killing of one Inspector Monday Orukpe and torturing of four others, all of the Ojo Division of the Lagos State Police Command.
Precisely on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, it was alleged that about thirty Privates of the Nigerian Army while on transit at the Trade Fair section of the ever-busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway attacked five policemen for stopping vehicles along their lane to pave way for other vehicles to pass. Angered by this development, the soldiers heavily descended on the senior officer leading the team of policemen and eventually murdered one Inspector Monday Orukpe and injured four others.
It would interest Your Lordship to know that save for the maturity and skill of the officers of the Nigeria Police Force involved, the event would have left many injured and killed including innocent civilians going about their normal business activities.
Having regard to the avoidable tragic incident, we humbly request you to use your good offices to cause a thorough investigation into this allegation and fish out the members of the Nigerian Army who carried out this uncivilized act on the personnel of a sister security agency carrying out their constitutional mandates.
Having regard to the avoidable tragic incident, we humbly request you to use your good offices to cause a coroner’s inquest to be conducted into the cause of the death of this police officer and make appropriate recommendations under Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007 which provides that an inquest shall hold whenever a coroner is informed that the death of a deceased person within his Coroner District is as a result of a death in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation.
Please Your Lordship, accept the assurances of our highest regards.
Yours Sincerely,
Taiwo E. Olawanle, LP. Per Pro: FALANA & FALANA’S CHAMBERS