A commissioner with the state of Osun, South West, Nigeria, has said the police subjected him to a humiliating search and stripped him of his underwear, trousers and shoes after he got arrested on tweet relating to an Amotekun Corps escort woman.
The commissioner claims the event happened after an arrest for entanglements with an escort from the Osun State Security Network Agency, popularly dubbed Amotekun.
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The chief of police is accused of telling him to take his underwear, trousers and shoes off while he was in custody. The account raises questions about the way in which the arrest and subsequent treatment were conducted.
The allegation follows escalating political and security tensions soaring in the southwest ahead of the election for Osun State governor, as fear was heightened: two political and security forces with conflicting accusations have been being questioned about their practice of law enforcement.
A detailed explanation should be given by the Nigeria Police Force and potentially the commissioner concerned of the circumstances surrounding the arrest, the specific allegation made and the company searched and the reasons for the search.
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The strip search is a very serious matter because when searches are conducted in the course of arrest and detention, it should be conducted within the realm of Nigerian laws and should observe the dignity and fundamental rights of the arrested person.
The allegation further contributes to the calls for more transparency in the relations between Osun state security agencies and the federal security agencies, and prompts further investigations into the matter. South-West states essentially created Amotekun as a regional security body, while the Nigeria Police Force serve as the country’s main constitutional security police force.
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The political ante has been raised and the allegations regarding police behavior are sure to grab lots of media attention before the election. It is not just their decisions on maintaining order that will give the security agencies their credibility, but also their methods of conducting arrests, searches and detentions within standards of due process.
The commissioner’s version, however, is in an allegation form, and is not independently verified. The material examined did not contain an official police response to the reported strip-search, whether confirming or refuting.
This is why the names of the officers who allegedly opened the search and the circumstances surrounding the search need to be determined prior to any definite statements being made.
Osun is developing at a very sensitive time because the ongoing gubernatorial contest has seen political parties increasingly question security arrangements and alleged intimidation, especially in the lead up to the elections.
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If a formal investigation into the allegation is to be conducted, it must determine those circumstances, the legal basis for the search, what the officers did and whether the commissioner’s rights were breached.
