The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Ishola Olanrewaju Olawale, has allegedly redeployed the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ijeshatedo, Mushin Police Division for refusing to free some criminal suspects arrested with guns.
An insider who is familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the DPO simply identified as Matthew, received notice of his removal and replacement shortly after receiving a call from a strange caller asking him to free the criminal suspects.
According to the source, the three suspects were arrested on Sunday night and were detained at the Ijeshatedo Police Division but on Monday, a caller suspected to be a top politician called DPO Matthew and demanded the release of the criminal suspects.
However, being a disciplined and strict officer, the DPO insisted on knowing who the caller was and why he must release them, but the caller ended the call abruptly and all the DPO’s efforts to call the number back failed.
After a few hours, the source said a call came from the police commissioner directly, informing Matthew of his removal and immediate replacement with a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
The source said, “The Lagos Commissioner of Police removed the DPO of Ijeshatedo Mushin Lagos following an anonymous call demanding the release of suspects caught with guns.
“DPO Matthew of Ijeshatedo Police Station and his team arrested individuals found in possession of firearms.
“A man suspected to be a top politician then called the DPO, requesting their release, but the DPO sought to verify the caller’s identity.
“Unfortunately, the caller was unreachable. In a surprising turn of events, the DPO was replaced by another CSP within hours of the phone call, and the new DPO released the suspects caught with guns.
“This incident occurred on Monday, February 10, 2025. The former DPO was instructed to report to the Lagos Police Command.
“The former DPO is a very disciplined and strict man and that is why he did not agree to release the suspects but wanted to confirm who the caller was. But it is obvious the caller was a top politician.”
SaharaReporters made efforts to confirm the incident from the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, but he said in a text message that he cannot answer calls.
However, SaharaReporters was reliably informed by a police source that there was no signal about the matter as the order for the removal of DPO Matthew came directly from the Commissioner of Police.
