A Nigerian lawmaker has accused Nigerian police of demanding N100,000 before cars impounded from Quilox Club could be released to their owners.
“First of all, the cars of the customers were towed and seized for violating traffic,” Akin Alabi, who represents Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency said on Twitter.
“But the police arrested them and told them to pay N100,000 bribe. Why one earth do you need to pay the police a bribe after they have already seized your car.”
A spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command Bala Elkana told The Guardian on Monday that the police prevented the cars from causing traffic following a 36-hour non-stop event hosted at the club.
Apart from the cars towed, police also arrested the owner of the Quilox club, Shina Abiola, popularly known as Shina Peller, who himself is a lawmaker. The club was also sealed by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency because of noise pollution.
Elkana accused Peller, who told a plenary of the House of Representatives last Wednesday that he had stepped from the management of the club, of leading 50 suspected thugs to Maroko Police Station, where the towed vehicles are kept.
Here’s what he said…
“This Honorable now mobilized over 50 thugs to attack Maroko police station to remove the cars,” Bala said
“We had to send reinforcement. And then, the police arrested him with five other thugs. Then the others fled,” he said, adding that there was an ongoing investigation on Peller.
But Alabi said the claims that Peller wanted to invade the police station were “lies”. He claimed the police commissioner in the state may be behind Peller’s arrest.
“Now they are trying to swing the narrative by lying that he tried to invade the police station,” Alabi said. “He went to bail those that were in prison. Then he got arrested. CP even boasted that he has a score to settle with him.”
