By Onuorah Ebele

A Lagos Magistrate Court has issued a three yearsbinding order against a retired Superintendent of Police, Mr David Olakokun. Olakokun is by the order, not to get close to Mr Kayode Adebayo and his wife, Rebecca or harass them in any way.

Ruling on a suit by the couple, who had dragged the retired Police Superintendent, challenging their incessant arrest and harassment on the instigation of Superintendent Olakokun, Chief Magistrate P. Ojo, said “Olakokun had on several occasions between 2008 and January 2010, at various places, within the jurisdiction of this court been using various and dubious ploys to intimidate, harass, embarrass and implicate” a Lagos based couple, Mr Kayode Adebayo and his wife, Rebecca.”

The court also ordered Olakokun to enter into a recognisance forthwith, in the sum of N300, 000 with two sureties in the sum of 150,000 each. Olakokun is also to keep the peace and be of good behaviour within Lagos State and towards all persons, and especially the couple. Failure to comply with the order will earn him imprisonment for a period of one month. The couple had gone to court, seeking an order to bind the ex-police chief over and for him to be of good behaviour. In her evidence-in-chief, Mrs Rebecca Adebayo, testified that she had a misunderstanding with her husband between 2006 and 2007 and that a regretted relationship developed between her and Olakokun.

She alleged that during the relationship, Olakokun exploited her financially and that she contributed considerably to his welfare and that of his family. She said in 2008, when she reconciled with her husband, she intimated Olakokun of her desire to terminate the relationship, but that he refused and insisted the relationship must continue. She averred that ever since, Olakokun has been using various dubious ploys to intimidate, embarrass and implicate her and her husband and this had taken them to various police stations. She alleged that on September 28, 2008, Olakokun came to her house and knocked, but she and her husband did not open the door. She alleged that Olakokun kept worrying her on phone and when she told him it was all over, he suggested they should be meeting at hotels but she refused.

According to her, “on another occasion, Olakokun reported her at Ebute – Ero police station that she was owing him N500,000 but that the police later dismissed the claim. She said on January 6, 2010, crack detectives from Zone II command came to her house with a search warrant, alleging that she was gun running with her husband and that they stole their newly delivered twins; a boy and a girl.

She denied stealing the twins, saying they are her biological children, she gave birth to on November 3, 2009, at Ayodele Clinic and that the police at zone II investigated her claim and found it to be true and therefore, released her and her family and till date, no charge has been filed against her or her husband.

She said she now discovered that her live and that of her family members are not safe, hence, she came to court. Olakokun had in his defence, admitted reporting the couple to the police because he learnt that they bought a set of twins. He said though the relationship with Rebecca was over, it was impossible for anyone to get her pregnant. But Chief Magistrate Ojo dismissed the defence by Olakokun, saying all the allegations made against him were not denied. “The law is trite that evidence must be challenged and where evidence is not challenged, a court can rely on it and make its findings based on such evidence. It is clear that an order binding over the respondent (Olakokun) can curb his activities,” the court said.