Professor Zainab Duke Abiola has denied allegations by the police that she assaulted a police orderly who was attached to her.
The police arrested Professor Abiola, who is a lawyer and human rights activist, along with her domestic aide Rebecca Enechido on Thursday for the said assault.
They were arrested after a video showing the orderly injured, sitting on the floor, and asking to be taken to the hospital for medical care went viral.
The police accused Professor Abiola, Enechido, and one of her male aides of being responsible for the assault.
In a statement announcing their arrest, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba, had condemned the assault and directed that those responsible should be prosecuted.
READ ALSO: Police Arrest Professor For ‘Beating Orderly Who Refused To Do House Chores’
However, according to a statement issued by the Afro-European Lawyers League on her behalf, the allegations against her were not true.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a fallacious malicious defamatory publication against our respected Alumnus of the National Institute of Policy and Security Studies, NIPPS, Professor Zainab Duke Mni alleging assault on one of her police Orderlies. We categorically state that this is NOT true and Nothing could be further from the truth. For the records, our respected revered Professor Zainab has Never assaulted anybody anywhere at any time. It is not in her character.
“The facts are: 1. That on the 20th of April 2022 the IGP approved the revalidation and deployment of police Orderlies to our leader based on the fact that she is the Chief Legal Consultant to the Nigerian Police and has her office at the Force headquarters, Abuja.
“2. That the police consequently assigned a female police officer who was among the perpetrators of Violence against innocent Nigerian Citizens during the ENDSARS imbroglio.
“3. That consequent upon discovery of her Orderly’s involvement in police brutality against Nigerians that Professor Zainab rejected the posting of a brutal officer and returned the said Orderly back to Force Headquarters to her bosses and told her Bye bye on the 19th of September.
“4. That to our surprise around 10pm the former Orderly returned with a Vengeance banging on our gates with some dangerous weapons including a gun threatening to kill everybody in the compound and that the police Orderly beat up family members in the Professor’s household.
“5. That as can be seen in the video a crowd soon gathered and there was street brawling crowd fighting and loss of properties.
“6. That it is very strange that the IGP will forcefully, brutally and illegally violate the fundamental Rights and liberties of a distinguished law- abiding citizen and proceed to forcefully take her pictures and maliciously publish same in the print and electronic media in this nascent democratic dispensation.”
