Residents and business owners in the Ijegun and Ikotun area of Lagos State have cried out to police authorities and state government over incessant cases of shooting, extortion, violent intimidation, harassment and other violent crimes allegedly perpetrated by a rogue police inspector Kolawole Olanrewaju Olopade, with AP No. 229055, popularly known as Olopade, attached to the CP Tactical Squad Ijegun.
Sources in the neighbourhood revealed that due to several complaints, Olopade was said to have been redeployed to another command earlier in the year but has refused to leave. Instead, he was said to be in the habit of parading himself as the Commander of the Ijegun tactical police squad while intimidating, extorting hoteliers, business owners and residents. In fact, his Toyota camry ‘Muscle’ car, with an Abuja registration, carries a customised Number Plate: Federal 1.
Several victims who spoke with the condition of anonymity over fear of reprisal expressed their frustrations, cited multiple cases and lamented how a single police officer could wield such enormous power unchecked by the authorities. ‘Olopade is like a demigod, feared and worshipped in this Ijegun and Ikotun communities and neighbouring areas especially on Governor Road’ said a source.
He is said to be a cultist and in possession of several assorted weapon including a ‘cut to size AK 47 rifle and two bareta pistols which he brandishes to intimidate victims’. Olopade allegedly displays violent tendencies including shooting guns sporadically in the air to announce his presence in different areas of the community and extortion of hoteliers and other businesses ‘for protection’ and failure to which may lead to framing for crime and incessant police raid in a bid to disturb businesses and frustrates business owners into parting with money. Whereas, he's actually an inspector of police but parades himself as the commander of the unit, extorting money from hoteliers, and residents, and different business people in the community in the name of giving protection and settlement for the commander.
In a midnight raid, Olopade in 2024 had shot a man well known to him for decades in the community and identified as ‘Alowonle’ in the leg after storming his residence on the pretext of suspicion that the victim bought a stolen generator. However, the attack turned out to be a show of power drunkenness and abuse of power as he and the victim were revealed to have earlier quarrelled over a romantic affair with a lady. Olopade was said to have been angered by Alowonle’s advice for the woman to divorce him after several complaints of domestic violence and irreconcilable differences. Olopade, known for his bad temperament capitalised on the incident to shoot the man after waiting for a perfect opportunity.
After shooting the man, Olopade bundled him into his car before later releasing him to get treated for gunshot wounds. Strangely, there was never any prosecution for the so called case of buying stolen property after the shooting incident.
Olopade was also said to have framed a young man selling phone in the community after setting him up with a suspect. The young man noticed Olopade pointing at him to a boy who walked up to him to look at a phone and just as he was taking a look at the phone, Olopade and his team hiding swooped on the phone seller. Olopade was said to have tortured the boy in cell with a pestle which damaged his leg badly permanently.
Another victim narrated a terrible encounter with the same rogue policemen. He said he was once framed by Olopade and arrested over a petition at Zone 2 police command in Onikan, Lagos island, that turned out to be fake. He was hurled into a car handcuffed from a hotel relaxing in his street by a team in company of Olopade. After forcing him to pay N800,000 he was freed. His wristwatch was also seized. According to him, after regaining freedom, he reported the matter to the AIG office at Zone 2, the team was summoned and his money and wristwatch was refunded.
Another victim lamented that many residents had earlier thought that it was the Tactical Squad harassing the community until it was discovered that it was only a rogue element and one bad egg causing problems. It was said that even the traditional ruler of the town is fed up over the matter. He was said to have expressed frustrations that despite the complaints no changes instead, Olopade operates unchecked.
The rogue officer is said to have grown wings, goes using police weapon in his possession to Oppress people, terrorise resident, hoteliers, business owners and Traders and artisans; Extorting them for protection money, for one reason, or the other. And it was said that Failure to part with money May spell doom for them. so people have to pay him out of fear of what he could do to them.
On Monday December 1st around 10.15 p.m. Inspector Olopade was said to have driven into Petrocam filling Station on Ijegun Road and fired several bullets into the air, making residents to campaign for safety and Wondering, if it was armed robbers at work. When undercover journalist approached the manager and employees of the station, they Confirmed that there was no robbery but one police officer known as Olopade Who was shooting in the air when he visited the Petrol station. When probed further Asking if he was working for them as security, they said no. They said he is a popular policeman so they didn’t see any issues with it.
Several People who have suffered in who spoke to journalists Lamented, the harrowing experience in the hand of the notorious police officer, Olopade. They are calling on police and state government to come to their aid as it is getting out of hand.
Several other cases of violence, extortion and framing innocent people for various crimes over refusal to part with money were also linked to and spearheaded by Olopade in multiple accounts.
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