When Ajana Olajide, a legal practitioner handed over his car to two trusted mechanics at a workshop near his home in Abijo GRA, Lagos, he expected to have it back the next morning in better a condition. What he didn?t expect was a phone call in the middle of the night from the Police, and a nearly month-long battle to free his car and save two innocent men from prison.

What happened over the next 22 days would uncover a dark and painful truth many Nigerians already fear ? that in the wrong hands, a police uniform can become a weapon of oppression, not protection.

Recounting the ordeal, Olajide said: ?I?m a lawyer. And I was nearly broken by what I faced. I can only imagine what would have happened if these mechanics had no one to fight for them.?

It all began on April 1. The two mechanics were test-driving Olajide?s Ford Explorer around 11 p.m. when officers from the Elemoro Police Division stopped them. By 1 a.m., Olajide?s phone wouldn?t stop ringing. When he finally picked up, he was told the men had been arrested for driving what the Police claimed was a ?suspected stolen vehicle?.

?I spoke directly with an officer, ASP Dare. I told him clearly, the car is mine. I gave it to them,? Olajide said.

But that assurance did nothing

The next morning, Olajide arrived at the station to clarify the situation, but what he met was hostility and silence. He was bounced from one officer to another, all refusing to release the car without ?approval from above.? When he asked for a phone number to follow up, they refused. When he tried to meet with the DPO, CSP John, he was asked to wait for hours.

After waiting three hours with no progress, Olajide voiced his frustration. That act, he said, was the spark that turned the whole encounter into a personal vendetta.

?I was shocked when I heard the DPO had ordered the two mechanics to be charged to court, after I had already identified myself as the car owner,? he said.

As if that wasn?t enough, the Police misled him about where the case was filed. He was told it was at the Epe Magistrate Court. But the matter had secretly been taken to the Eti-Osa Magistrate Court in Badore, Ajah.

Thanks to his legal background and some frantic phone calls, Olajide reached the right courtroom just in time. ?If I had gotten there five minutes later, they might have been remanded,? he said.

Shocking charges in court

In court, the charges against the mechanics were shocking. They were accused of being in possession of a vehicle ?reasonably suspected to be stolen,? a vehicle that Olajide, fully documented as the owner, and had given them.

The magistrate, Kikelomo Olaiya Doja-Ojo, after reviewing evidence including Olajide?s NBA seal and Supreme Court enrollment number, dismissed the charges immediately and freed the men.

You?d think that would be the end. It wasn?t.

Olajide?s car remained in police custody. When he returned to the station to retrieve it, he was met with more rage.

?The DPO was furious. He threatened to arrest me too. He said I had embarrassed them in court,? Olajide recalled. ?I had to walk away to avoid things getting worse.?

It took three more court sittings and a formal order from the magistrate before the car was finally released, 22 days after it was unlawfully seized. Even then, Olajide says, the DPO hurled insults at him and threatened to flog him.

?I?ve never felt more powerless, and I?m not powerless,? he said. ?What about all the people who go through this and don?t have the training, the law on their side, or even someone to call??

While this incident ended with justice, the questions it raises linger: How many people are behind bars today for similar cases, arrested without evidence, remanded without investigation, and punished simply because someone in uniform could?

Olajide is calling for an independent investigation into the actions of the Elemoro Police Division. He says this isn?t just about him, it?s about a broken system.

?I?m using my voice not because I want sympathy. But because this is happening every day in this country, and too many people have no one to speak for them. Power in the wrong hands is dangerous. We must do better. The police must do better.?

Meanwhile when contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, acknowledged the inquiry and said he would respond. However, despite several follow-up messages, no response was received. (Vanguard)

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