Bail Is Free, Nigerians Must Insist - ACP Austines Akika

Austinses Ayasi Akika

Kingsley Momoh

Acquiring bail at any police station is usually a transaction that involves money. Although not a fixed amount, this reporter has experienced it first hand. A church member had called on me to come bail him because the police had arrested him after he was reported to have beaten up a neighbour during a fight between the two and despite insisting bail is free, I had to part with some money for stationery, disinfectants, toiletries etc "for the running of the station".

However, the area commander of Idimu police station, Austines Ayasi Akika who is well known for his acts of professionalism as a Nigerian police officer, has come out to state once again that it is the right of the citizen to insist that bail is free. The statement by the senior officer sounded like the usual sayings of top officers but ACP Akika while speaking with Guguru FM pointed out that it is the right thing to do and if the police insist that a person seeking bail must pay for it, such a person should seek the attention of the divisional police officer or any other senior officer to wade into the issue.

Akika who has numerous awards to show for his professionalism pointed out that people are quick to offer financial gratification to police officer when they have crossed the lines of the law. He said how can you get to a place and on the wall is boldly written "bail is free" and they ask you for bail? Why won't you shout and insist that bail is free as written on the wall and on other posts in the police vicinity?

He gave an example of when he was the divisional police officer at Adeniji Adele police station. It was the case of an elderly woman whom he assisted to get her grandson released who was picked up during a routine raiding by the police. He had instructed his men to let the woman's grandchild go with her while he (Akika) was on his way out of the station.

He was alarmed when he came back about an hour later to meet the woman at the station.Upon asking why she was still there, the old woman said she was afraid her grandson (who has been released to her) might be arrested again by the police because they didn't collect a dime for the bail.