As the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson bows out, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has said his retirement is “good riddance to bad rubbish”.
At a press conference, he addressed in Abeokuta on Tuesday, the NANS Vice President, Ojo Raymond said the student’s body is not happy with the manners in which the command was run under Ebrimson.
Ebrimson was redeployed to Ogun State in November 2019.
Speaking to newsmen, Raymond said NANS wished to use the opportunity to register its total displeasure at the level of what he termed “unprofessionalism and impunity” displayed by the police in Ogun State, under the outgoing CP.
Ebrimson’s days in Ogun, according to him, was characterized by a high level of gross misconduct amongst men of the force.
“Bribes were openly demanded like regular market,” he alleged.
The NANS Vice President recalled some of the “ugly incidents” that occurred in Ogun under Ebrimson; some of which he said included, the alleged killing of a footballer, Tiyamiyu Kazeem, by a police officer in Sagamu; the shooting of two Hausa pepper sellers in Olomore, Abeokuta South and the death of a pregnant woman during COVID-19 lockdown in Ijebu.
Raymond proceeded by calling out the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi.
“We equally wish to condemn the unethical manner in which the State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer managed the public relations unit of the force in the State under CP Kenneth. It is on record that the immediate past Force PRO in the State CSP Muyiwa effectively managed this same unit professionally without any blemish.
Speaking on behalf of the entire students in Ogun State and beyond, Raymond said: “we make bold to say that Ogun state has never had it so bad and deteriorating like this in the history of policing.”
Reacting, the Ogun PPRO, Oyeyemi debunked the allegations levelled against the Ebrimson and himself.
Speaking to DAILY POST on phone, Oyeyemi said he would not have dignified NANS with a statement, saying he needed to do so to set the records straight.
According to Oyeyemi, no reasonable human being should believe the allegations coming from NANS.
While saying the Commissioner of Police should not be blamed for the incidents mentioned, Oyeyemi noted that the policeman involved who was involved in the Sagamu incident was from the Zonal Intervention Squad, saying the ZIS was dissolved nationwide because of the incident. He said the policeman involved has been arrested, dismissed and charged to court.
He challenged the students to come out clean if they have any score to settle with anybody, saying they should not expect to be pampered if they involve themselves in any crime.
“Before you accuse anybody of anything, you must come out with verifiable facts. All these things they are saying, is there anyone they can attribute directly to the Commissioner of Police?
“If they have a personal score to settle, of if some disgruntled elements are sponsoring them, they should not hide under any guise. As students, they should be intelligent enough to know that a blanket allegation cannot just be levelled against anybody. You need proper and verifiable facts to present to the public before they can believe you,” Oyeyemi replied.
DAILY POST reported that CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun has been posted to Ogun State to take over from Ebrimson.
