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The story has been told of a police officer who lost his eyes while he was answering a distress call from Chivita company.
Olushola John Joshua
For 57-year-old Olushola John Joshua, a retired Assistant
Superintendent of Police , who was enlisted into the Nigeria Police in
1983, life , could be said to have dealt him with an unkind fate. First,
was the demise of his wife, in 2014, which saddled him with the
responsibility of taking care of their five children, alone.
As if that was not enough, an incident that plunged him into his
present predicament occurred on December 31, 2016, barely two years to
his retirement. Then, he was an Inspector and the patrol Commander at
the Ajao Division of the Lagos State Police Command. He had led a team
of policemen , in response to a distress call at Chivita company, Ajao
estate.
Unknown to him that , it would turn out to be his greatest undoing.
Barely had he arrived the company to contain the situation, than he
was ambushed and had a chemical substance poured on him. Unfortunately,
the result of that ambush affected his eyes. As you read this piece ,
his right eye is totally damaged. He also can not see with the left eye.
But doctors have assured that it (left eye) has 60% assurance of
visibility, only if the required surgery, which will gulp N2.5
Million, is carried on it. The effect of his present state is already
taking a harsh toll on his children as three of them are now out of the
higher institutions.
Crime Guard gathered that his first son dropped out in 300 level,
from the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State , while the two
others, were forced to discontinue their studies at the Auchi
Polytechnic, Edo State.
These children, take turn to lead their blind father to several
places where he goes to beg for money to buy eye drop, to save the left
eye from total damage , before the surgery. At the moment, he said, he
had borrowed over one million naira to treat himself since the incident
happened , with the hope to pay back when he received his gratuity.
Visit to his apartment
A pitiable sight greeted Crime Guard during a visit at the Edo
State born retired policeman’s apartment in Ikeja, area of Lagos, as two
of his children who were supposed to be in school were on ground to
assist him. Clad in grey robe , he narrated how he was detained for
eight hours at the Lagos State Police Command, in his bid to get the
attention of the Commissioner of Police. At a point, he said he
regretted joining the Police .
Hear him: “I was on official duty as the then patrol commander
at Ajao estate division when I received a distress call from the
Management of Chivita company that some hoodlums had broken into their
warehouse and were looting their products and that they needed
policemen to help restore normalcy to the area.
”Few minutes later, the then Divisional Police Officer, who
also received the distress call from Chivita, called me immediately and
asked me to go to the company with my team to ensure that adequate
security was provided there. As my team and I were about leaving, I
received another call on my walkie talkie through a radio message from
the police command control room by the Area Commander, who directed me
to move to the scene and give him security report of the incident.”
“As soon as we got to the company, we alighted from the patrol
van, at one of the entrances, we saw more than 500 persons inside
the premises. The people the management alleged were hoodlums were so
many. I knew that there was no way that number of hoodlums could invade
the company to steal anything. So, I asked some members of the team
to man the other entrance while a few others and I went through the main
entrance.
The attack
“Unknown to me that someone was waiting to attack us with
chemical substance. Immediately we entered the premises, they threw
different missiles at us. One of the canisters they threw landed on my
head and exploded. Its content poured on my head and covered my face.
As I made an attempt to run back, while groping in the dark, I fell
down, writhing in excruciating pain. The people started shouting, “one
of them has fallen”, “collect his gun”, “collect his gun”.
As I could not see anywhere, I managed to stand up and began
to move, I didn’t know the direction I was moving to. I corked my gun,
fired some shots on the ground to scare my attackers and I discovered
that the people who were coming close withdrew. By then, some of my men
held my hand and dragged me to the vehicle, they took me to Hidat
private hospital, where doctors made frantic efforts to treat me but
said that it was beyond them. I was referred to the Lagos State
University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH , where I spent seven days. From
there, I was referred to another hospital. Yet, I was told that the
problem could not be solved.
“My DPO came to the hospital with some management staff of
CHIVITA to console me. They said I would be taken outside the country
where surgery would be carried on the eyes since the doctors here said
they could not treat me. During the period I spent at LASUTH , a team
of Chivita staff led by a retired General came to visit me. I was
told that the company budgeted 10 million to fly me abroad for
treatment. I broke down in tears when LASUTH said they could not treat
me . I asked my children to help me call my DPO. She came with the
company of some Chivita representative. The Chivita representative
explained that the delay was as a result of the bottle neck procedures
that the company needed to follow to release funds for my treatment.
Later they agreed and took me to a one private hospital, Eye foundation,
situated at 27 Isaac John street G.R.A Ikeja Lagos, they assured me
that the management of Chivita had spoken to the hospital to look at
my case and fly me abroad if they could not attend to it”.
Abandoned
Unfortunately, that was never to be as he said that he was
abandoned there. At this point, he paused, bowed his head and at same
time, shook it in self pity. He was silent for a for a while, before he
raised his head to continue.
He said, "At LASUTH, Chivita paid N115,000 which was later
refunded when the doctors said they could not handle my case. At the Eye
foundation hospital, I was requested to deposit 175,000. According to
the doctor, I would be paying N25,000 per night, before they would
commence treatment. I was confused because I didn’t have any funds. The
DPO was still at the hospital when all these were happening; all the
DPO said was that I should use my discretion, If I didn’t have the
money.”
“Because of lack of funds, I asked the doctor if my children
could bring me to the hospital for treatment, instead of sleeping
there, he said yes. This was when my suffering began. My children had
to pay for a cab that would take me to the hospital each time I had
appointment with the doctor. After a week I called the D.P.O and he
said, the Chivita people said every bill I spent would be catered for.
From the initial N115,000, I paid for medical treatment, for cab
everyday to the hospital, for consultation fee and also bought
different eye drops, which ranged between N5000 and N7,000. They used
six different ones at the same time. But the company never showed up as
promised . I was abandoned to fate.
”As days ran into weeks, weeks to months, it became obvious
that the Management of Chivita was not forth coming. My children went to
meet the D.P.O with an accumulated bill of N150,000. All they could
bring was N90,000″.
Prevented from seeing CP Owoseni
When it became obvious that he had been abandoned, Joshua said he
decided to meet with the then Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Owoseni,
four months after the incident. But he said he was prevented from seeing
him.
He said, “On April 10, 2016, I told my children to take me to
the then Lagos state CP Fatai Owoseni. Before this date, I had
attempted to see him three times but to no avail. His Personal
Assistant never allowed me to. They were just looking at me as a blind
beggar. I was frustrated and humiliated for now what looked like crime
in serving my country for 34 years.
“On that particular day, out of frustration, I sat in front of
the entrance of the C.P Fatai Owoseni office. I was determined to kill
myself if I didn’t see him because you cannot say that a master sent
his servant on errand, only to be abandoned. When I threatened to kill
myself if I was not allowed to see him, somebody called the D.P.O who
went straight to the CP’s office. After sometime she came out she asked
me what I was doing there. To my surprise, she started shouting and
asked if it was because of my problem. She said there were many
people waiting to see the CP and that before he would have chance to
see me, it would be late. She fixed a date for us to go and see the
Chivta people. But when I got to the company, she told me that the C.P
was calling her and that a patrol van had been called to take her
home. She said she would go back to the company to collect the money
based on the directives of the C.P . Later, she sent the Station Officer
who was accompanied by other person, to give me N200,000″.
Detained
Last October, he said during one of his routine visits to the
hospital, doctors informed him that he would lose both eyes if urgent
steps were not taken to carry out the surgery. In his confused state, he
visited the command, only to be denied opportunity to see the CP.
He said, “Like the previous CP, CP Imohimi Edgal’s personal
assistant prevented me from seeing him. I went through the Admin
officer whose rank is ASP. When he saw me, he burst into tears because
they all knew my problem and he said I should wait and later took me to
meet the C.P. but when we got there, the place was filled . he called
the CP’s P.A to allow me in when the CP finished with other people. But
when the Admin officer left, CP Edgal’s P.A did not allow me in . In my
determined state to meet with Edgal, I went downstairs and told my son
to position me by the CP’s car , so as to accost him when he would be
leaving. But as the CP was approaching his car, my son told me that some
people were coming with him. I later got to know that it was the wife
of the then Inspector-General of Police. Since I could not see, I did
not know that the car was about to move. I bent down and started crying
for the CP to have pity on me and at the same time, tried to explain
how I became blind. All I heard was the shout of sabotage and the next
was that I was taken away, including my son. We were detained in the
provost office.
“By then the provost was listening to why I was detained, he
shed tears and reported the matter to a Deputy Commissioner of Police .
By the time I was taken to see the DC, he went to explain the position
of things to CP Edgal.
Arrest
A week later, he said he was invited by CP Edgal who granted him
audience and immediately directed that management of Chivita company
should be summoned before the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge o f
the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba .
He said, “ But when Chivita management got to the SCID, they
said they didn’t believe that I had any problem with my eyes, that
they would have to take me to another eye foundation at Victoria Island
managed by an Indian man. By the time the result came out, I didn’t
hear anything from Chivita. Even when the result of the test conducted
on the eyes came out, Chivita didn’t want me to know it was out, until
I went to Panti. At a point, they stopped coming to Panti . Even the
Investigation Police Officer, IPO began to toss me here and there , at a
point.
“ For three years I have been suffering, I started borrowing
to treat the eye because If I don’t go to the hospital, the left eye
will be damaged . I have borrowed over N1 million to buy drugs . This
has forced my children out of school . All I need for the surgery is
N2.5 million . The bill was brought last August. I told my son to go and
meet with the DPO, to contact Chivita company that promised to
sponsor my treatment abroad . but the company is saying a different
thing. It said it never entered into any agreement of such with me.
They even dared me to go to court
Regrets
“ At the moment, I have no one to run to for financial
assistance. The company has refused to look my way and the Police are
not saying anything as well. Is this the right way to pay me for my 34
years of serving the Police? Most times, the public complains that
policemen don’t answer to distress calls. This is the kind of situation
that policemen are running from. What can be worse than being abandoned
at a time you need help most? Can you imagine the Police said their
hands are tied, for N2.5million to treat one of their own? If I had
refused to go to the scene of the distress call as directed by my DPO, I
would be made to face order room trial, or I would have been dismissed
or reduced in rank.
“My crime was obeying a directive from my boss. I went there
for the message they sent me and in the course of it I was attacked and
all they could do was to take me to the hospital and abandone me there
to suffer with my children. I lost my wife in 2014. My children have
been struggling with me since”.
Last week, a 10-year-old girl, Jessica Omogiate, who was moved
with pity for the blind retired cop, donated her lunch and transport
money to him, to add to whatever he had for the treatment.
He has not been abandoned
But the Police said that the ASP had not been abandoned as claimed.
Spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, DSP Elkana Bala, stated
when contacted that his files were being processed.
Although the incident did not occur during the present Commissioner
of Police , CP Zubairu Muazu’s tenure, but the command according to
Bala, “ has started processing his files. He has not been abandoned by
the Police. The command is aware of the matter and is making moves to
do the needful”.
***
Source: Vanguard
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