The Oro Ago community, Kwara State has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission over unlawful detention and brutality of nine indigenes by policemen.

The community stated that the police have refused to charge the men to court or allow them to see their family members or lawyers, since they were detained in April, 2015 following a clash with Fulani herdsmen who attacked Oro Ago with dangerous weapons.

In the petition dated June 29, 2915 and signed by the President, Oro Ago Development Union, Chief Richard Olushola, the community explained that several pleas had been made to the Inspector-General of Police to charge the detainees to court if the police were serious about prosecuting them.

It listed those that were detained to include Chief Omotayo Abiodun, Chief Sunday Odeyemi, Ganiyu Ibrahim, Dauda Ibrahim, Chief Ajibola Adeoti and Mohammed Ologemo while Tunde Abolaji, Oladele Ponle and Rasaki Illa were detained on June 12.

The community said the nine indigenes were arrested by a team led by one Sgt. Sunday Umar and detained in Abuja but were granted bail and later re-arrested after two weeks.

According to the petition, the monarch of the community had written two separate letters to both the Kwara State Commissioner of Police and the State Director, Department of State Services for their intervention “because we don’t want to take the laws into our own hands, but sadly, there has been no response from them.”

The petition reads, “We are convinced beyond doubt that the police are biased in favour of the Bororos (Fulani herdsmen). This is so because during the second visit by the police, two of our men tied down on their farms by the Bororos were told by the Bororos that the police were coming from Abuja to arrest them and others.

“It happened as the Bororos told them as the police from Abuja later that day swooped on the community and carried out the arrest of our people including the two farmers tied on the farm.”