The Lagos State Police Command has refuted reports claiming that Monalisa Osayi, arrested for assaulting a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) official, is a police officer.
The clarification was made by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Thursday.
Osayi was arrested following an incident on December 7, 2024, during an FRSC routine patrol. A viral video captured her assaulting Habeeb Sayidi, an FRSC official, while preventing him from deflating the tyres of her impounded vehicle.
According to the statement, Osayi was arrested on December 15, 2024, by the RS2.19 Lekki Unit Command and subsequently handed over to the Ajah Division of the Lagos Police Command. Though initially released on bail, her detention was later enforced following the intervention of the Unit Commander.
On December 16, 2024, she was arraigned before Court 3 of the Eti-Osa Magistrate Court on charges of assault and breach of public peace. Osayi pleaded not guilty, and the court granted her bail under stringent conditions, including a N100,000 bond and two family-member sureties with valid tax clearances. She was remanded in prison for failing to meet the bail terms.
The case has been adjourned to January 8, 2025, for further hearing.
In response to the incident, Hundeyin clarified that Osayi is not affiliated with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). “Were she a police officer, internal disciplinary processes would have been activated first, leading to suspension or dismissal, before any court arraignment,” he explained.
https://x.com/LagosPoliceNG/status/1869504224729694442?t=cf8CfQSe13u9gyOwDLme4g&s=19
The Lagos Police Command urged the public to disregard the false claims and assured that their collaboration with the FRSC remains strong and essential to Lagos State’s security framework.
