Pregnant woman detained at Surulere Police Station collapses after 4 days

A pregnant business woman, Mrs Tosin Taiwo, detained at Surulere Police Station in Lagos collapsed in the cell after for four days before she was forcefully granted bail.

Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the woman, who was eight weeks pregnant, was arrested at Meran area and detained at Surulere over an allegation that she borrowed money.

Meran is in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area.

The sources said that her husband, Mr Taiwo came to the police station for her bail, but was refused bail by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), one Mrs Louisa Njoku.

“The IPO said she will not grant her bail due to instruction from above.

“I believe the complainant gave the instruction. That is why he brought the case to Surulere Police Station where he knows officers.

“One of the officers, who arrested her at Meran, simply identified as Jide, boasted that the woman would rot in jail,’’ a source told NAN.

The husband told NAN that his wife was not well when she was arrested, stressing that at the police station in Surulere, they were informed of her condition.

Taiwo said the wife borrowed some money from her friend to do business but unfortunately, she was duped and could not make up the payment as scheduled.

He said payment plan was made known to the complainant, noting that the complainant had wanted a full payment rather than in instalments.

“He brought police to arrest her on Saturday and detained her at Surulere Police Station.

“All efforts to secure her bail proved abortive as the IPO was tossing us up and down, saying there was instruction from above not to grant her bail.

“We followed it up on Sunday and Monday; the IPO was not cooperating.

“It was then we went to meet the Area `C’ Commander, ACP Tajudeen Bakare, who advised the complainant to accept our terms of payment,’’ her husband told NAN.

“The complainant still insisted in collecting his money in full or else, the case should be charged to court.

“The area commander again, advised him against it as it may last longer than necessary.

“The area commander then ordered the IPO to release the woman on bail or charge her to court. Due to `instruction from above’, she was not released.

“The IPO told us that she would be charged to court on Tuesday morning. We were at the station early in the morning waiting for the police before my wife fainted.

“In the company of the IPO, we rushed her to Randle General Hospital where she was revived about two hours later. The police almost killed my wife.

“I am sure the complainant gave them money to detain my wife indefinitely.

“While she was still in the hospital bed, the police called me to come and sign for her bail.’’

When NAN visited the casualty unit of the hospital at about 12.30 p.m. on Tuesday, only the woman was seen sleeping without police presence.

All efforts to get close to her bed were rejected by the hospital staff, who said that she was brought by the police; therefore, no stranger should go close to her.

One of the matrons at the casualty unit, who spoke to NAN anonymously, noted that Tosin was in a stable condition, adding that they had yet to determine why she fainted.

NAN reports that at about 2.30 p.m. when the hospital certified her to be strong enough to go home, they insisted that police must come before she would be discharged.

The woman later told NAN on telephone that the hospital discharged her at about 5 p.m. after obtaining permission from the IPO to let her go.

She said she bled while in the cell, stressing that she was seeking medical attention to ascertain if the pregnancy was still intact.

When contacted, the police spokesperson, SP Oladapo Badmos, told NAN that she would confirm the incident as at press time. (NAN)