Dismissed Police Officer Begs IG to Obey Court Order on Reinstatement

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

A dismissed police officer, Sergeant Aiguobasinmwin Esosa, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to comply with an Industrial Court which ordered his reinstatement into the Force.

Sergeant Esosa, with number F/N 368144, also wants the federal government to wade into his case, alleging that he was wrongfully dismissed which forced him to resort to court to get justice.

According to a certified copy of the judgement with suit No: NICN/Ben/01/2018 shown to journalists in Warri, Delta State, yesterday, Justice A. A. Adewenimo of the National Industrial Court, Benin Judicial Division, had on November 17, 2021, delivered ruling in favour of the Esosa over the ‘unlawful’ dismissal from the Force.

Narrating his ordeal, Esosa maintained that the Industrial Court ordered the police authorities to reinstate him two years ago but up till now they have refused to obey the court order, adding that his unlawful dismissal has brought him untold hardship coupled with his father’s death upon hearing of the dismissal news.

He said the problem leading to his unlawful dismissal started when he was transferred from National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) at Deco Road in Warri as a police officer on duty to Igbokoda, Ondo State’s office of the Authority, adding that at NIWA Office, where he was placed under the Command of one ASP Olaoye Waheed  Kolawole, with AP 105385, he posted him to Ajah in Lagos on special duty in one Chinese company known as SINOTRUST International Investment Limited.

According to Esosa, he arrived at the company and was documented, and he started work, explaining that the  Manager, Mr. Leo, told him that he was entitled to N3,000 as daily allowance and would be paid through the said ASP Olaoye Kolawole Waheed’s account.

He said being on special duty, he was entitled to N155,000.00 but he was paid only N20,000.00 for the month of June and July, and he protested to ASP Waheed, who, instead of listening, arrested and detained him at Igbokoda Police Station on September 7 till November 24, 2017, and later handed him over to a new DSP Victor Olowolagba when a call came from Zama Shettima, who is now an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).

Esosa lamented that he was detained in police cell for four days without food and water just as he was beaten up mercilessly, adding that he was admitted in the hospital at Igbokoda Central Hospital before he was finally charged to Orderly Room Trial, “and before I knew it, I was dismissed without dismissal letter.”

He said with the turn of event, he had no  other  option than to go the National  Industrial Court to seek redress  in Akure in January 2018, which  later transferred  the case to  Benin-city, Edo  State.

Esosa said while the matter was in court, the police lawyer came only twice until the court gave judgment on November 17, 2021, that his dismissal by the Police Force was null, void and of no effect and asked that he be reinstated “but up till date, the police authorities refused to do the needful.”

He, therefore, called on relevant authorities to wade into the matter for the police authorities to do the needful.