For allegedly brutalising Police Orderly, Prof. Duke Abiola Charged with Attempted Homicide, Remanded in Prison

A magistrate’s court sitting in  Wuse, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Friday, remanded a lawyer-human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola, in prison over the bloody assault of a police orderly attached to her, Inspector Teju Moses.

Duke, who was arraigned alongside her domestic aide, Rebecca Enechido, was ordered to be remanded in Suleija Prison by the Chief Magistrate.

A video clip that went viral on social media on Wednesday showed a brutalised Inspector Teju Moses sprawling on the floor, with blood oozing from a gash in her temple.

The frightening wound was reportedly inflicted on her by Prof. Duke Abiola for allegedly refusing to do some house shores.

On Friday, the police charged and accused Abiola of attempt to commit culpable homicide and intentional insult to cause a breach of trust.

The professor was denied bail while the matter was adjourned till October 5, 2022.

Consequently, the magistrate ordered that she be remanded in Suleja Prison till the adjourned date.

However, Prof. Abiola had, earlier, denied assaulting the officer, saying it was strange that the IGP would forcefully 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 nascent democratic dispensation.”

In a statement issued on her behalf by a group, the Afro-European Lawyers League, Abiola said:

“Our attention has been drawn to a fallacious malicious defamatory publication against our respected Alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Security Studies, NIPPS, Professor Zainab Duke Mni alleging assault on one of her police Orderlies. We categorically state that this is NOT true and Nothing could be further from the truth. For the records our respected revered Professor Zainab has Never assaulted anybody anywhere at any time. It is not in her character.

“The facts are: 1. 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.

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

“3. That consequent upon discovery of her Orderly’s involvement in police brutality against Nigerians that Professor Zainab rejected the posting of a brutal officer and returned the said Orderly back to Force Headquarters to her bosses and told her Bye bye on the 19th of September.

“4. That to our surprise around 10pm the former Orderly returned with a Vengeance banging on our gates with some dangerous weapons including a gun threatening to kill everybody in the compound and that the police Ordely beat up family members if the Professor’s household.

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

“6. 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 nascent democratic dispensation.”

Concluding, the group called for the sack of the IGP, saying: “We hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Inspector General of Police and bring him to book to face the consequences of this gross violation of our constitution as Alkali Baba Usman is NOT a fit and proper person to hold the office of IOP.”