The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ibadan Branch has asked the Oyo State Police Command to speedily investigate and punish police operatives who allegedly assaulted and paraded a critically ill lawyer and member of its branch.

In a letter obtained by CITY LAWYER and addressed to the Oyo State Police Commissioner, the branch leadership stated that “We received a report that Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan was brutally assaulted, stripped naked and unlawfully detained by armed policemen during an unannounced raid in his community of residence at Lakuru, Idiape/Olounda, Ibadan, around 2.00 am, on the 6th July, 2025.”

Narrating what transpired between the lawyer and the police operatives, the branch leadership stated: “The Nigerian Bar Association hereby calls on you to use your good offices to cause an investigation into this incident with a view to bringing any erring officers to face justice.”

Below is the full text of the demand letter.

17th July, 2025

The Commissioner of Police,
Oyo State Police Command,
Eleyele, Ibadan,
Oyo State

Dear sir,
A DEMAND FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCIPLINE OF ALOLO BENJAMIN JUBRIL AND HIS TEAM FROM OLOHUNDA ABA POLICE DIVISION, IBADAN, FOR ALLEGED ASSAULT, TORTURE AND UNLAWFUL DETENTION OF OUR MEMBER, MR OLUWATOPE RAPHAEL OLANIYAN.

The Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch, expresses deep concern, anguish and utter disdain concerning a report received on the unwarranted and criminal attack, physical assault, torture, arrest and detention of its member, OLUWATOPE RAPHAEL OLANIYAN, a critically ill patient.

We write your office to cause an investigation to be undertaken into the incident of an unprofessional act levelled against some policemen attached to the OLOHUNDA ABA Police Division, Ibadan, under your command. We do this in the fervent hope that a prompt action will be taken to redress this alleged bestial abuse of authority.

BACKGROUND FACTS

Olaniyan Oluwatope Raphael is a legal Practitioner of 14 years post call, practising in Ibadan and a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (Ibadan Branch) on whose behalf the Bar writes the petition following a reported case of series of grave and unlawful violations of his fundamental rights by the Police at Olohunda Division.

We received a report that Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan was brutally assaulted, stripped naked and unlawfully detained by armed policemen during an unannounced raid in his community of residence at Lakuru, Idiape/Olounda, Ibadan, around 2.00 am, on the 6th July, 2025.

A Police team from Olohunda Aba, led by their DCO1, one Alolo Benjamin Jubril, stormed the community in a gestapo manner, an operation that any reasonable member of the environment would have taken as a robbery expedition. Residents were woken to the sounds of sporadic gunshots, a situation which impelled suspicion of an untoward event.

A palpable fear descended on the community as the shooting continued for several minutes. Nobody would have believed this unfortunate incident was linked to any legitimate undertaking to effect the arrest of persons suspected to have committed any crime.

Mr Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan, our member, stayed in his house, overwhelmed with trepidation, wondering what could be happening in such an environment at that time of the day. He had mistaken the unusual pandemonium for a robbery operation as such an occurrence was novel in that area. While members of the community waited to ascertain what had happened in the early hours of the morning, some policemen, led by one Alolo Benjamin Jubril, returned to conduct “a search” and effect mass arrests of those found in the community. Mr Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan had to approach the officers, as a lawyer, to ask a lawful and respectful question regarding the nature of their mass arrests and whether they had obtained a valid arrest or search warrant.

The arrests were carried out in the next compound to our member’s house and some of those arrested are Mr Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan’s clients with whom he had worked, professionally. He had approached the said Alolo Benjamin Jubril and other officers at the scene, including one Akeem, to know the reason for the arrest and why the police put the whole neighbourhood under fear.

We were informed that Mr Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan was slapped, immediately, by the said Alolo Benjamin Jubril. He was allegedly, beaten and stripped naked. He was, subsequently, paraded half-naked, to Olohunda Police Station, without any offence alleged. This turn of events prompted our member to reach out to the Bar through its Human Rights Committee, to come to his rescue at the station. The presence of the members of the Committee appeared to have incensed the policemen present, especially Alolo Benjamin. All entreaties that our member should be allowed some dignifying treatment, befitting not only a lawyer, but also a Nigerian citizen, presumed innocent under the law, were rebuffed. Mr Alolo even boasted that he was going to show that policemen were smarter than lawyers. He said, “I am going to show you that lawyers are commoners, police are the masters of lawyer because we have naked power with us.”

The policemen at Olohunda, who had, allegedly, insisted on dealing, ruthlessly, with our colleague, not minding his state of health condition, transferred Mr Oluwatope Benjamen Olaniyan to the State CID, Iyaganku, where he was detained until 5:00 p.m before he was released. All this happened despite the presence of at least 5 lawyers, including the Chairman of Human Right Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch who doubles as the Chairman of the branch. Our member, Oluwatope Raphael Olaniyan, suffered a major adrenal (Addisonian) crisis, a life-threatening medical condition, that required emergency hospitalization and trauma therapy. He became weak to the point of being rushed to the hospital after the brutal assault meted against him.

This case becomes more pathetic because these officers were apprised of our member’s special health condition. The treatment of this life-threatening disease is so delicate to the extent that, the drugs to manage the disease are not sold anywhere in Nigeria and all these were known and explained to this over-bearing officers at Olohunda Aba. The situation became so bad that, despite all entreaties from the lawyers’ present, including our member’s brother, Mr Joshua Demilade Olaniyan, who is also a lawyer, all had prepared for the worst.

The deteriorating condition of health of our member in particular, and the presumed innocence of the arrested persons could not convince these officers to release those in captivity. The officers, as reported, refused, bluntly, to release them. Nothing could convince them to act professionally. Everybody present begged for the release of those detained without identifiable offence to be released. These men, led by Alolo Benjamin, refused to heed all appeals for reason to prevail. The Nigerian Bar Association is fully aware of the long-standing terminal health condition of our member since 2017. These policemen released those detained after 3 days without any charges preferred against them. This perfunctory treatment of the case, which had required a commando-style operation, exposes the duplicitous slant to their claim.

OUR DEMAND
The Nigerian Bar Association hereby calls on you to use your good offices to cause an investigation into this incident with a view to bringing any erring officers to face justice.

The leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association looks forward to receiving a satisfactory resolution of this matter.
Yours faithfully,

Ibrahim Lawal Esq, MCIArb (UK)
Chairman, NBA Ibadan Branch.