How Police, Correctional Service Officers Abused Court Process, Tortured ‘Isese’ Religion Activist, Talolorun In Detention — Lawyers

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The personnel of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) tortured Adegbola Abdulazeez, a traditional religion, “Isese” practitioner and activist, also known as Talolorun, while in detention, one of his lawyers, Adedamola Olalekan, has revealed.

 

Barrister Adedamola who made this known while addressing a crowd of traditional worshippers on Wednesday after the court proceeding, confirmed that Talolorun was ill and bent over at the court which was evidence of merciless beating melted on him by the prison officers.

The lawyer said, “Number one, let me tell you they beat him. They beat him so mercilessly that he can’t walk. He was bending while he was at the dock. But the other person, an old man, stood well. That showed the old man was not beating. But he who is a younger man could not stand well.”

Adedamola added that Talolorun’s legal team had filed preliminary objections against the charges brought against the traditional religion activist.

He continued: “We have filed a preliminary objection. I was sent by Yoruba Lesin so that I could assist his lawyer. My name is barrister Adedamola Olalekan from Lagos. We have filed a preliminary objection that you can’t bring someone to court twice for one charge. We are urging the court to rule out the cases against Taniolorun. They said they needed seven days to reply. This is why it would take long. After that we said we need one day because we want it to be fast.

“Even them, they were supposed not to have more than two days. By next tomorrow, they ought to have returned. But because they want to waste time they asked for seven days. We asked for one day which happened to be on Friday, and this court does not use to sit on Friday. This is why the court adjourned till Monday which is 4th of September. It is that day we are coming back for the court to hear the preliminary objection.

“Then for Baba Tede, we were supposed to get his bail on Wednesday because it was not two cases filed against him like Talolorun. But the court said because they were charged together we can’t secure his bail alone. We would first settle the preliminary objections first because hearing their bail application. By grace of God, we would get their bail soon.

“Also I want to tell you that in the first court where he was arraigned, you know it was not Upper Area Court, It was Magistrate Court, we have also filed bail application there and they had given us September 5. When I see you today, I am relieved. When I came here on Monday, I was using my mind to pray.”

According to the legal practitioner, the court had ruled that families and friends of Talolorun should be allowed to visit him at the prison.

“We also told the court that the prison did not allow anybody to see him. The judge said if it is someone that has been sentenced and convicted for death penalty, but is yet to be executed, he is entitled to be seen by his people. The Prison officer came and I didn’t believe them. They said they did not see anybody that came to look for him. They added that maybe those people came when it was not a visiting period. We should have asked for the visiting time, but we didn’t to avoid people who were planning to injure to use it as opportunity,” the lawyer said in the video shared on Facebook.

Another lawyer who is also representing Talolorun but did not identify himself in the video opined that there was an abuse of court process by the Nigerian police and other stakeholders in Talolorun’s matter.

He said, “I also want to throw more light on this issue. The first case was brought up on Monday against Talolorun. It was lawyers that filed a case against him at Upper Area Court and that was why the court issued a bench warrant to arrest him in Ibadan and they did. If the case is in court, there are procedures to follow. They did not follow them. Court grants the order to go and arrest him. When he was arrested and taken to the police station, the police said they also have petitions against him earlier so they are not bringing him to court. That was what caused problems with court and the police. At the end of the day, the police brought him to court.

“The commissioner of police later filed FIR to sue him because they also have petitions against him. But the one they brought him for today is the one they filed against him originally that led to his arrest. So it is now abuse of court processes. When you know his case is already in court, why did you arrest him? This is what we would need to trash out one way or the other,” he added.

SaharaReporters on Tuesday reported that traditional religion practitioners in Kwara State, Nigeria commenced a fundamental rights enforcement suit before a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and seven others over the alleged violation of their fundamental rights.

The other defendants in the suit numbered FHC/L/CS/1674/2023 filed by a legal practitioner, Olukoya Ogungbeje, are the Kwara State Police Commissioner, the State Government, Registered Trustees of the Council of Ulama (Islamic Clerics), Justice Salihu Mohammed (Executive Secretary of the Council of Ulama), Sheikh (Dr) Mohammed Bashir Saliu (Chief Imam of Ilorin and Chairman of the Council of Ulama), Alfa Abdulsalam Baba Tonile Okuta-Agidu, Kwara State Magistrate Court in Ilorin, and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Ilorin.

The claimant alleged that he is suing all the respondents in the public interest on behalf of traditional religion adherents and worshippers in Nigeria, in accordance with freedom of religion, thoughts, belief, and conscience under Sections 36, 38, 42, and 46 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, Order II Rules 1 and 2 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, Order XI of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, and under the court’s inherent jurisdiction as imbued by Section 6(6)(b) of the Constitution.