A dismissed female soldier nursing a two-month-old baby has been detained at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Kwara State police command.

Blessing Egbogwu and her baby have been in detention since November 12 as attempts to secure her bail were unsuccessful.

Mrs. Egbogwu’s lawyer Onwa Emmanuel told The Nation that her summary dismissal from the military was hasty, describing the refusal of the police to grant her bail as unfair.

He said she was dismissed on robbery allegation without thorough investigation.

Police sources said she is refused bail because the allegation borders on crime.

Her counsel contended that police ought to sympathise with her little baby.

Emmanuel said, “The detention of that innocent baby with her mom is so unlawful. It is so unfair, ungodly and immoral for Nigeria Police to partake in such act. We are not going to keep quiet; we are going to enforce the rights of that little baby.

“I personally undertook to stand for Mrs. Egbogwu that anytime they want her I am ready to produce her. That is the essence of bail, to secure the attendant of a defendant or any accused person before any competent court. I applied they refused my application. They detained the little baby that is still sucking breast with her mom as I am still talking to you.

“As I am talking to you the health of that baby is at risk because of the dirty nature of the cell. The baby has been crying but nobody to assist. I want the Nigerian public to know what is going on. To the evil perpetrated and let the concerned authorities take note and correct this. We are all here and after this we are going somewhere.

“My client Blessing Egbogwu was a military personnel. She had a little issue with one of her neighbours who threatened to make sure that she was sacked from her work place. Shortly after that my client heard that a neighbour whom she had the disagreement with was robbed.

After the robbery, the police invited Egbogwu to come and explain her role in the robbery and she told the police she knew nothing about the incident and she was a soldier, not an armed robber.

“Later on we learnt that one Michael Kunle, the prime suspect was arrested and he told the police that it was Egbogwu that sent him to go and beat her neigbhour. The police investigations reveal there is nothing that incriminated Egbogwu aside what Michael told them. She was not found at the scene of the crime.

“The next thing was that Kwara State ministry of Justice said she should be produced for trial. The military summarily dismissed her without any explanation, without any proof of evidence, and without any shred of evidence.” from the military police who owed her a duty to investigate the allegation. Or better still to allow the High Court, which is the court of competent jurisdiction to decide on the case and say that she was guilty of the offence.

“The military never waited for any of these before dismissing her and handed her over to the police, where she is being currently rudely detained with a two months old baby. And they have been there since November 12th, 2019.”

(The Nation)

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