Update on police assault of pregnant woman in Lagos

Women's rights activists Dr Joe Odumakin has threatened
to mobilize all pregnant women for protest if the police
officer that assaulted a pregnant women in Lagos is not
disciplined.

A clip which surfaced few days ago on the social media,
showing a police officer identified as Arthur Okeke
harrasing a pregnant woman with disregard for her
condition has continued to attract more reactions.

The victim, Mrs. Rashidat Oyelowo Abdulmajeed
recounted her experience while speaking to journalists
in Lagos. She told of how the police officer conducted
himself very embarrassingly. Find the video here
The victim stated that she was slapped and her hijab
was also torn during the encounter on the bus with
police officer, Mr. Arthur Okeke.

She narrated that the policeman was in a seat behind the
one she sat on the bus, and he officer leaned forward,
resting his arms on guard of her own seat, but her back
was also relaxed on same guard.

The woman said Officer Arthur Okeke ordered her to raise
her back from the seat, but she had responded that it was
meant for occupant of seats to rest their back on. Besides,
she said, she told the officer that she was pregnant.
Officer Arthur began assaulting her thereafter.

"He pulled my hijab from the back and forcefully reclined
my head backwards so that my head hung over", she said.
Her narration, which buttressed the visual spreading on
the social media, included how the police officer ordered
the bus to stop and also asked every passenger to alight so
he'd torture her more. She said every passenger
condemned his actions, but most of them were under
trepidation he might harm them.

While the bus stopped, the officer also called on another
who was directing the traffic, on the road to join him in the
act, but he was turned down.

Reacting to the incidence in Lagos, female activist and
president of Women Arise, Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin who
received the victim in her office on Friday, called on the
Police Inspector General, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed to take
on the erring officer for disciplinary action.

Okei-Odumakin warned that the spate of police
indiscriminate molestation of citizens is on the increase and
moreso, unacceptable.

"I trust the IG of police that he will take action on this and
bring Arthur Okeke to book. But failure to do this, we will
mobilize all pregnant Women and protest police brutality
on the street for the sake of Mrs. Rasheedat", she said.
Meanwhile, the Police Force has not said anything about
disgraceful conduct of the officer, despite many
communications to it about the incidence.

Severally, the video has been tweeted, tagging the Police
authority on social media with the video, but no single
response from the police came on it.