Funmilayo Adebayo, the 22-year-old woman who was videoed being beaten and dragged through muddy water by a drunken riot policeman at Lewis Street, Obalende, Lagos, has identified her assailant.
The identification was said to have been made at the Lagos State Police Command on Monday.
The policeman in the video, identified as Nasir Mohammed, was arrested, soon after the video surfaced online about a week ago, drawing public condemnation over the
incident.
President of Women Arise, Mrs. Joe Odunmakin told Chat212 that Funmilayo and her family met with the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Braide, on
Monday.
She said, “The PPRO had already been to the scene of the incident and just wanted to hear from Funmilayo and her brother. She didn’t take any statement; she just
listened. They told her what transpired on that fateful day.
“After that, we all went to the Lagos Police Command where Mohammed was being held in custody. He was brought out along with some other suspects. Immediately Funmilayo
and her brothers saw him, they quickly identified Mohammed as the person that beat Funmilayo.
“They were told to come back to the command office on Tuesday with copies of Funmi’s medical report, for a formal documentation of their statement.”
Funmilayo had in Chat212's Monday publication said that Mohammed attacked her while arguing with a fish seller Iya Yemi, to sell fish to him.
She had said, “I had gone to buy fish from Iya Yemi when Mohammed came. He wanted Iya Yemi to sell more fish to him so he could continue taking it with his beer. She
refused him.
“While they were at it, I pleaded with Iya Yemi to attend to me. I wanted to buy food and return home. To my surprise, Mohammed threw the food that Iya Yemi was about
to give me into my face. He quickly followed it up with a blow and then dragged me into the muddy water on the street.”
“While he was assaulting me in the water, I had no idea that I was holding on to his gun.
“I was just scared and stunned. In fact, after I received a blow to my face and several more to my chest, I was no longer aware of what was happening round me.”
Her brother, Abiodun, who tried rescuing his sister from Mohammed, also told Chat212 that the family had made a report the following day at the Lion Building Police
Area Command on December 19 2013.
Braide said she would call back when she was contacted on the telephone, but she had not done so at the time of going to bed.
