A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped at the office of Owolabi Akinlolu, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) assigned to the Ogudu Police Station in Lagos. But he was discreetly retired on Tuesday before his case could go to trial. Rights advocates, the survivor, and her family are quite disappointed with this result because they expected him to be fired and charged following the investigation. According to a July 2024 PUNCH Metro story, Mrs. Aramide Olupona, the victim’s mother, accused the police of trying to protect Akinlolu from punishment. Citing his impending retirement in December, she said that his wife and family pushed her to drop the lawsuit. According to people with knowledge of the matter, the Nigeria Police Force purposefully postponed the investigation and the court procedures so that Akinlolu could retire before being held legally responsible. According to reports, Akinlolu called the adolescent to his office on June 29, 2024, claiming that the individual who had stolen her phone two weeks earlier had been taken into custody. But he allegedly shut the door and sexually attacked her when she arrived. PUNCH Metro was informed by an insider with knowledge of the inquiry that the police “deliberately let him retire before initiating his prosecution.” According to the source, Lagos police officials claimed that Akinlolu’s seniority made the matter outside of their purview, therefore they chose to keep him on staff rather than fire him. As a result, the Force Headquarters in Abuja was tasked with overseeing the investigation. No disciplinary action was taken, despite allegations that the investigation ended after he retired. In police contacts, Akinlolu was not identified as a former officer or referred by his rank, in contrast to Inspector Dikko Usman, another police officer involved in a murder investigation. According to a different report, Akinlolu threatened the adolescent with a gun during the assault; this information is not included in the allegations against him. According to the source, the police should have taken attempted murder or threats of death into consideration instead of being so forgiving to their colleague. PUNCH-obtained documents The survivor testified about being threatened with a gun, Metro confirmed, but the formal accusations did not include this important fact. As of Wednesday, neither Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin nor Force spokeswoman Olumuyiwa Adejobi had responded to questions regarding Akinlolu’s retirement. The victim disclosed her continued psychological pain in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, saying, “My mental condition has not been steady. I’m constantly afraid, especially around police officers. “We no longer believe in law enforcement,” she added, expressing her mistrust of the force. Nothing convinced us to ask for their help once more. She went on to discuss the effects on her family, especially her mother, and her determination to seek justice. “I will make sure that I am the final victim, even if I am aware that I am not his first. All I can hope for is that we receive the justice we are due so that I can at last find peace. Her tenacity highlights how urgently police accountability and reform are needed.
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