The Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Police yesterday, confirmed the arrest of Yemi Ayeni, a dismissed soldier who was seen in in a video violently brutalising a policewoman.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana confirmed the arrest in an interview with newsmen on Friday.
According to him, the policewoman, Inspector Martina Onyeacho was carrying out her lawful duties, controlling traffic when Ayeni descended on her with a wooden club.
The Police PRO said the incident occurred in the evening of August 9th at Ilemba Hausa, a suburb of Lagos.
He added that the police command received a distress call that Onyeacho who was on traffic control duty at Shibiri Bus Stop was attacked. “Upon receiving the report, a patrol team was sent to the scene to rescue and take the female police officer to the hospital for treatment,” Elkana said.
The brutalised policewoman sustained various degrees of injuries as a result of the punches and beating from the huge stick used on her by the dismissed soldier.
Eyewitnesses say that Onyeacho had ordered a commercial vehicle conveying Ayeni and other passengers to move away from the spot it was parked as it was obstructing traffic flow.
The order provoked the dismissed soldier who claimed she did not accord him the respect he deserved.
When arrested and paraded, Yemi Ayeni who still in army camouflage said he did not know what came over him and could not remember why he brutalised the police officer. He pleaded guilty and begged both Inspector Onyeacho and the public to forgive him.
He added that he had spent four months in the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, Kaduna State in 2002. Unfortunately, he was dismissed from training on mental health grounds but continued to pose as a soldier in active service.
Police PRO Bala Elkana insisted that Ayeni will be charged to court as soon as investigations are over.