Baba Ijesha will be in detention until JUSUN resumes – Lagos Police Command

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has stated that the Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha, will not be released until the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria called off its nationwide strike and the courts resumed so that he could be arraigned.

The Commissioner stated this in a reaction to the protest held by Yomi Fabiyi a colleague of the accused at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, to demand his release on bail.

The Commissioner also stated that the continuous detention of  Baba Ijesha is based on legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions in the state Ministry of Justice.

In his words: “When they got the SCIID today (Wednesday), they were advised by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the SCIID, and he told them that we have done our work and sought legal advice from the Ministry of Justice and the advice was that we should still keep him in our custody.

“When we concluded our investigation, we forwarded our report to the ministry for legal advice. The ministry advised us through the Office of the Public Defender. The legal advice was that there was a prima facie case established against him and some sections of the law were quoted in the advice. So, the advice was that he should still remain in our custody and to be charged for that.” 

Odumosu said the ministry might review its position concerning Omiyinka’s detention if the JUSUN strike continues indefinitely, adding that a new arrangement had been made in the state for courts to sit three times a week.

The CP said, “Regarding the JUSUN strike, they agreed to be working for three days and striking for two days. They will go on strike on Monday and Tuesday, while the courts will sit on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

 “It was our hope that they would work on Wednesday, but coincidentally, Wednesday and Thursday are public holidays. But if the courts continue to remain shut, the Ministry of Justice may further review the report. But right now, we are relying on the advice of the ministry.”