A woman, Shola Sonowo, has accused the Alonge Police Division, Oworonsoki, Lagos State, of extortion.

She claimed that the police forced her to pay N20,000 for bail after being arrested over a fight in which she was the victim.

Sonowo, who was eight-month pregnant at the time of the incident, stated that she was forced into labour pain and hospitalised for about one month after the attack.

It was gathered that the 28-year-old accused some children of her neighbour of abusing her while she passed their shop on November 26, 2022.

While angry, she reportedly threw a sachet of water at them, which led to a brawl in the neighbourhood.

Sonowo, a hairdresser, alleged that her neighbours stripped her naked during the clash.

She said the police did not conduct any investigation before arresting her mother.

“They brought in the police while I was hospitalised. The policemen arrested and detained my mother. She was assaulted and humiliated because I was not around. I had to rush out of the hospital even with drips to the police station.

“I was detained with my pregnancy and health challenge because of my inability to meet up with the N20,000 bail condition that I was asked to bring by the DCO of Alonge Police Division and his IPO; they kept me in custody while the other parties were asked to go,” she added.

Her father, Abayomi Oladipupo, said efforts to get justice had been abortive.

He said, “I learnt that they started fighting because cooked beans were thrown away; that’s why some people started fighting my daughter.

“After the fight, she went to a hospital and a doctor put her on a drip. After a while, policemen came to visit my house with the other people involved in the fight and they took my wife because my daughter was not around.

“On hearing that her mother was in the police station, my daughter left the hospital and went to the station.

“One of the people that fought my wife told the police that the beans were worth N20,000. I said the police should visit the scene to confirm. But the police said they could not because the person that called them was the complainant.

“After writing a statement at the station, the IPO said we would have to bail my wife with N20,000. So, I had to bail my wife and daughter from the station.

“I have written a petition and we have not been invited since November 28 that the petition was submitted and received.”

The Lagos police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, however, said Sonowo was the troublemaker.

Hundeyin described the allegation of extortion as untrue.

He said, “That person that is alleging that she was the victim, she was the attacker; she went to somebody’s shop; the person was not even around, she met the person’s children. She threw away the person’s beans. She was brought to the station, she was not detained. Because of her condition, she was released to her father or the person that claimed to be her father.

“N20,000 came into the discussion because the owner of the beans claimed that the things that were destroyed in her shop were worth N20, 000. That’s where the money came in and this attacker is to pay the N20,000.

“But it was dragging for too long, and because of her condition, they were all asked to go, settle and update e us. Much later, they contacted the IPO that they had settled within themselves.” (The PUNCH)

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