A motorist, Adeolu Oyinlola, whose driver, Emem Sunday, was prosecuted by the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, aka task force, for allegedly passing a uni-directional road (one way), has urged the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, to prosecute the agency’s witnesses for perjury.

That Oyinlola’s driver, while driving him on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway on August 14, 2021, was accosted by one of four policemen around the BOC Gases area, Oshodi, for allegedly passing one way.

According to Oyinlola, there was no indication on the road that it was one way and efforts to explain to the policemen that there was no such indication proved abortive.

Oyinlola, who is the Executive Director of the Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative, alleged that his vehicle was impounded after he refused to part with the money demanded by the officers.

Sunday was later charged before a mobile court on one count bordering on driving against traffic before Magistrate L.K.J. Layeni.

Layeni, while delivering judgement on November 25, 2021, acquitted Emem of the charge and ordered the release of the vehicle.

The car owner, in a letter by his lawyer and addressed to the state attorney-general and the director of public prosecutions, noted that the prosecution witnesses, Inspector Evale Samson and DSP Barbara Damisa, lied on oath during the trial.

Oyinlola, who noted that he suffered psychological trauma, urged the state to prosecute the officers for perjury.

The letter read in part, “During the trial of the case, the two prosecution witnesses committed perjury in their testimonies in the matter, contrary to Section 85(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and punishable under Section 86(1) of the same law.

“Inspector Evale Samson with AP NO: 289232 (PW1) lied on oath that he personally arrested the defendant while driving in one way direction, which was not the case. Also, DSP Barbara Damisa with AP139578 lied on oath that she took the defendant’s statement and processed the charge against him, which was also not the case. These testimonies were successfully challenged by the defendant’s witnesses at the trial.

“Our clients have been unjustly oppressed by the instrumentality and powers of the state and have suffered debilitating psychological trauma in view of the penalty attached to the offence. They, therefore, request that you use your good offices to have these officers duly/spiritedly prosecuted for their said perjury during trial of the matter, and their deliberate malice and desperate testimonies to have our clients’ vehicle impounded/forfeited and also have Mr Emem Sunday convicted at all cost.”