By Rotimi Fadeyi
Snr Correspondent, Abuja

Former Inspector General of Police (IG), Tafa Balogun, fainted in court on Wednesday after security operatives and policemen attached to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brutalised him.

He was rushed to hospital. Before then, he had been pushed, kicked, dragged on the ground and hurled into a vehicle from where he fell off.

He broke a leg and received other injuries. He shed tears, his relations also wept and one of his brothers had to step out of the courtroom as he could not control his emotion when the incident was narrated.

The attack started after Justice Salisu Garuba ruled that Balogun would only be released on bail on condition that he produces two sureties with national honours and landed property in Asokoro or Maitama in Abuja.

He is facing 92 charges of alleged gratification, theft and abuse of office.

As he stepped out of the court discussing with his lawyers on how to meet the conditions, one of the EFCC operatives attempted to drag him into the car.

His counsel, Tunji Abayomi and his relations protested but they were ignored.

The officials pushed him into the vehicle and armed policemen immediately surrounded it and cocked their guns to ward off those who tried to get close.

Some of the policemen jumped into the vehicle with Balogun who was sitting near the door. As it moved in a hurry to take him out of the court premises, they forgot to lock the door and he fell off as the car approached the gate of the court premises.

He landed on the ground but found his left leg trapped under the rear left tyre of the vehicle. Sprawling on the ground and groaning in pain, Balogun shouted: “Ha, ha, ha, do you want to kill me? Do you want to kill your former boss?”

Still on the ground, his brown flowing gown which was neat and clean a few minutes ago, became dirty and ruffled.

The policemen came out of the vehicle and forced his leg out from under the tyre. His cries that he had been injured were ignored by the security agents as they hurled him from the ground back into the vehicle and sped off.

Abayomi and other lawyers who witnessed the incident were speechless. Their attempts to save the situation were futile.

When the incident was reported to Garba as the security agents were about to drive off, he sent word through the court registrar that they should all return to the courtroom. The directive was ignored.

Garba insisted that Balogun be brought back to the court and ordered prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, to produce him.

Outside the court, while waiting for Balogun to be brought back, there was a hot exchange of words between his relatives and Jacobs and it almost led to a scuffle as other lawyers joined to condemn the action.

They continued to shout in Yoruba: Se e fe paa ni, Se e fe paa ni? (do you want to kill him? Do you want to kill him?).

Jacobs had to move to a safe distance to prevent a possible attack on him by the relatives and other lawyers in the defence team.

After about 30 minutes, the same vehicle that took him out of the court premises brought him back; accompanied by more EFCC officials in another vehicle.

Balogun had to be given some support before he could come out of the vehicle. His left leg had been broken, his clothes ruffled and dirty, his neatly starched cap had disappeared and the left side of his trousers was rolled up. He was barefooted and limped.

Tears had welled in his eyes when he got back to the courtroom. He shook his head and looked dejected.

Garba was already on his seat.

Jacobs apologised for the treatment meted out to Balogun. He said ruling on the bail conditions was misconstrued by the operatives and that Abayomi should have informed him when Balogun was about to be taken away instead of trying to pull him from the vehicle.

He admitted that it was wrong for the security agents to take Balogun away without waiting till the end of the court session to know whether he would meet the conditions.

When it was the turn of Abayomi to address the court, he gave a graphic detail of how Balogun was maltreated.

“My client was injured, mercilessly injured in the premises of the court, which showed total disregard for the court”, he recounted.

He asked the judge to vary the conditions and urged him to release Balogun on self-recognisance and promised that he would appear in court anytime he is needed.

Abayomi explained that Balogun would need medical attention as he had been injured.

At this point, tears welling up Balogun’s eyes and in an emotion laden voice, told the judge: “My lord, I think I should be given an opportunity to talk because I am the victim of the matter, this is like a fact finding session, that is why I request that you give me the opportunity to be heard because you want to know the truth.

“The bottom line is that I have always come before my lord. You can now see the manifestation of personal vendetta in this affair; it is not prosecution but persecution, which started long ago.

“I am not safe in the hands of these people (EFCC) and I want to say that from the beginning there had been threats to my life. Before the experience of today, there were threats from the prosecution that I will be in prison custody even before the trial can commence, so the case of conviction before trial is before your lordship.

“I have a broken leg because of the forcible manner in which they took me away, contrary to your order. I must have also sustained a lot of internal bleeding, internal injury because I was thrown off from the vehicle. I don’t deserve this type of maltreatment if the situation was normal.

“I have served this country as Inspector General of Police creditably well. I have respected the court and have been attending court. Despite all these, you can see what they want to do to my life. I seek your merciful cover under your lordship”.

A few minutes after Balogun sat down, he called Abayomi and whispered in his ears. Abayomi turned to Balogun’s brother to get a bottle of water and contact a doctor.

But before this could be done, Balogun lost balance and slumped as he was about to lean on the shoulder of a security operative sitting close to him.

His relations and lawyers gathered and tried to lift him up, but the situation got worse as Balogun fainted and was taken to a private hospital in a Prado Jeep marked KOGI AA 611 DAV.

When peace returned to the courtroom, Garba condemned the action of the EFCC operatives and Jacobs for disobeying his order.

He granted the request of Abayomi and released Balogun on self-reconisance and adjourned hearing to July 13.