11th February, 2011
A Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Court has issued a three-year binding over to a retired superintendent of police, Mr. David Olakokun.
Chief Magistrate P.A. Ojo who gave the order, said “Mr. David Olakokun had, on several occasions, between 2008 and January 2010, at various places, within the jurisdiction of this court, been using various and dubious ploys to intimidate, harass, embarrass and implicate†a Lagos-based couple, Mr. Kayode Adewale Adebayo and his wife, Mrs. Olubukola Rebecca Adebayo.
Consequently, Chief Magistrate Ojo ordered Olakokun to enter into a recognisance forthwith, in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in the sum of N150,000 each.
Olakokun is also to keep the place and be of good behaviour within Lagos State and towards all persons, and especially the couple, for a period of three years, commencing from January 2011. Failure to comply with the order will earn him imprisonment in the prison at Ikoyi for a period of one month.
The couple had gone before Chief Magistrate Ojo, seeking a court order to bind the ex-police chief over and for him to be of good behaviour.
In her evidence-in-chief, Mrs. Adebayo testified that she had a misunderstanding with her husband between 2006 and 2007 and an amorous relationship developed between her and Olakokun.
She alleged that during the relationship, Olakokun exploited her financially and that she contributed considerably to his welfare and that of his family.
She said in 2008, she reconciled with her husband and therefore intimated Olakokun of her desire to terminate the relationship, but that he refused and insisted the relationship must continue.
Mrs Adebayo averred that ever since, Olakokun has been using various dubious ploys to intimidate, embarrass and implicate her and her husband and this has taken them to various police stations.
She alleged that on 28 September, 2008, Olakokun came to her house and knocked, but she and her husband did not open the door.
She alleged that Olakokun kept worrying her on phone and when she told him it was all over, he suggested they should be meeting at hotels, but she refused.
On another occasion, Olakokun reported her at Ebute-Ero Police Station that she was owing him N500,000Â but that the police later dismissed the claim.
She said on 6 January, 2010, detectives from Zone II Command came to her house with a search warrant alleging that she was gun-running with her husband and that they stole their newly delivered twins, a boy and a girl.
She said the police turned the home upside down but could not find any gun but took her and her twins to Zone II, where she was locked up with her twins. She said her husband later came to the station to find out what was going on and that he was equally locked up and that they were in detention for three days.
She said Olakokun appeared at the station and came to embarrass her in the cell and that in the presence of her husband, he insisted on still ‘seeing’ her.
Mrs. Adebayo said the police later asked her to respond to a petition written by Olakokun, accusing her and her husband of gun-running and kidnapping a set of twins.
She said the police let the family off the hook after extorting N170,000 from them.
She said the last person she expected to see in her house after all the harassment was Olakokun and that as he came in, he started scattering the house. Her husband, who was in the bathroom, rushed out and they started a serious fight.
She denied stealing the twins, saying they are her biological children she gave birth to on 3 November, 2009, at Ayodele Clinic and that the police at Zone II investigated her claim and found it to be true and therefore released her and her family and that to date, no charge has been filed against her or her husband.
She said she now discovered that her life and those of her family members are not safe, hence, she ran to court.
In his defence, Olakokun admitted reporting the couple to the police because he learnt that they bought a set of twins. He said though the relationship with Olubukola was over, it is impossible for anyone to get her pregnant.
Chief Magistrate Ojo dismissed the defence by Olakokun, saying all the allegations made against him were not denied.
“The law is trite that evidence must be challenged and where evidence is not successfully challenged, a court can rely on it and make its findings based on such evidence. It is clear that an order binding over the respondent (Olakokun) can curb his activities,†Chief Magistrate Ojo said.