Don’t Smear Police To Cover Up Your Criminal Acts, Committee Tells Soji Amosu, Others

ABEOKUTA – The Caretaker Committee of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ogun State Council has warned a former scribe of the union in the state, Mr Soji Amosu against casting aspersions against the leadership of the Ogun State Police Command in the bid to hinder the force from investigating and prosecuting him and his cohorts for leading thugs to invade the NUJ Secretariat.

Soji Amosu and few others, including Ayokunle Ewuoso, Taiwo Abiodun and Sina Oduntan had on Monday, March 1, 2021 allegedly led some thugs into the premises of the Iwe Iroyin, Oke Ilewo Abeokuta Secretariat of the NUJ to break into the offices following a purported judgment and had in the process allegedly assaulted some female members.

The incident was promptly reported at the Ibara Divisional Office of the Nigeria Police by the Chairman of the Council’s caretaker committee, Mrs. Omolola Adeyinka and a team of Police was sent to effect the arrest of the suspected thugs, but Soji Amosu and his cohorts allegedly prevented the arrest while asking the police to rather take them into custody claiming that they had immunity to escape police actions as journalists.

The police thereafter detained the trio of Ayokunle Ewuoso, Taiwo Abiodun and Sina Oduntan who were later released on bail, but investigation into their criminal conduct was however scuttled at the police division due to an alleged undue interference from the Area Commander at the zone who was discovered to be giving counter instructions to the DPO making him unable to handle the matter professionally.

It took the intervention of the state Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun to call a meeting of both parties where Soji Amosu agreed to produce the thugs that assaulted female members to enable them to tender their apologies with a view to resolving the matter amicably.

CP Edward Ajogun then allegedly directed that the DCP in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, should handle the matter and it was a huge surprise for everyone concerned when Soji Amosu turned round to start accusing the police of alleged harassment and victimization as published in an online medium, New Nigerian Newspapers.

Comrade Soji Amosu who was alleged to had promised to produce the thugs during the meeting however failed to produce the thugs. The former Council Secretary however allegedly employed the service of a member of the Correspondent Chapel, Comrade Fasasi Sulaiman to persuade the Police authority to drop the investigation of criminal conduct and was quoted “threatening the police officers at Eleweran that they will blackmail them if they decided to continue with the investigation.”

Reacting to the publication, the Chairman of the NUJ caretaker committee Omolola Adeyinka and the Secretary, Wale Oluokun lamented that the attempt by Soji Amosu and his gang to cast aspersions on the police in order to prevent the investigation of their criminal conduct had brought ridicule to journalism profession which they claimed to be practising.

The duo maintained that the NUJ had never had it so bad in the state and cautioned the clique of Soji Amosu, Ayokunle Ewuoso, Taiwo Abiodun and Sina Oduntan to desist from blackmailing the police and face the consequences of unleashing thugs on female members at the council Secretariat.