Prof remanded for allegedly assaulting cop, associate denies allegation

A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Wuse, Abuja, has remanded Prof. Zainab Abiola at the Suleja Custodial Centre.

The don was arraigned on Friday along with her domestic aide, Rebecca Enechido, for assaulting her orderly, Inspector Teju Moses.

The two women were arraigned for offenses bordering on criminal conspiracy, causing harm without provocation, attempting to commit culpable homicide and an intentional insult to cause a breach of trust.

The police arrested both women on Thursday after a video showing the injured police orderly went viral.

The magistrate denied the accused bail and ordered that they should be remanded in the Suleja Custodial Centre.

The magistrate subsequently adjourned the case till October 5.

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, in a statement had condemned the assault.

The statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, reads, “The IGP strongly condemned the grievous assault of a female Police Officer, Inspector Teju Moses, by her principal who is a legal practitioner and human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola, and her domestic staff comprising the housemaid, one Rebecca Enechido and a male suspect currently at large,” the statement read in part.

However, Abiola, denied assaulting the officer in a statement issued by the Afro-European Lawyers League.

The statement reads, “The facts are: That on the 20th of April 2022 the IGP approved the revalidation and deployment of police orderlies to our leader based on the fact that she is the Chief Legal Consultant to the Nigerian Police and has her office at the Force headquarters, Abuja.

“That the police consequently assigned a female police officer who was among the perpetrators of Violence against innocent Nigerian Citizens during the ENDSARS imbroglio.

“That upon the discovery of her orderly’s involvement in police brutality against Nigerians, Professor Zainab rejected the posting of a brutal officer and returned the said orderly back to Force Headquarters on the 19th of September.

“That to our surprise around 10 pm the former orderly returned with a vengeance banging on our gates with some weapons including a gun threatening to kill everybody in the compound and that the police orderly beat up family members in the professor’s household.

“That as can be seen in the video a crowd soon gathered and there was street brawling crowd fighting and loss of properties.

“That it is very strange that the IGP will forcefully, brutally and illegally violate the fundamental Rights and liberties of a distinguished law-abiding citizen and proceed to forcefully take her pictures and maliciously publish same in the print and electronic media in this democratic dispensation.”