Police Rearrest Lagos Nurse Over Romance Scam Posts, Allegedly Pressure Aged Grandfather

The police have reportedly rearrested Shotuminu Rofiat Atinuke, a nurse undergoing a specialty programme at the School of Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State, amid fresh allegations that officers pressured members of her family to produce her.

Sources familiar with the matter told Street News Reporters that the development followed an earlier arrest and detention of Atinuke over social media posts concerning an alleged romance scam involving a man identified as Adeleke.

According to the sources, police officers allegedly mounted pressure on members of Atinuke’s family, particularly her aged grandfather, demanding that the nurse be brought to them. The officers were reportedly led by a Superintendent identified as Ayobami.

The sources alleged that the officers told the family that the Commissioner of Police had directed them to bring Atinuke on Wednesday. However, after some members of the family reportedly travelled to Osogbo, Osun State, the nurse was allegedly taken to the same office where she had previously been arrested.

A source familiar with the development said the family had expected Atinuke to be taken to the Commissioner of Police’s office based on what they were allegedly told by the officers.

“Nurse Atinuke has been unlawfully arrested at Yaba again,” the source alleged.

The latest development has raised renewed concerns over the treatment of the nurse, particularly among her colleagues and supporters who had previously called for an independent investigation into her earlier arrest, detention, alleged intimidation and alleged extortion.

The Elegant Nurses Forum had earlier alleged that Atinuke was arrested at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, after she spoke on social media about an alleged romance scam involving Adeleke.

According to the forum, Atinuke had previously been in a relationship with Adeleke but ended it after allegedly noticing what she described as lies and inconsistencies. She later participated in an online discussion about romance scams, warning women about alleged emotional manipulation and fraudulent relationships.

The nurses’ group claimed that other women subsequently commented on Atinuke’s posts, alleging that they had experienced similar conduct involving the same man.

The forum further alleged that Adeleke contacted Atinuke privately and threatened to release her intimate pictures unless she deleted the social media posts.

It alleged that police officers subsequently arrived at the Yaba hospital and arrested the nurse, with the operation allegedly led by Superintendent Ayobami.

The group claimed that Atinuke was subsequently taken to Osogbo and detained for about four days without access to her school or family.

It further alleged that on the fourth day, Atinuke was placed inside a vehicle while an officer allegedly stood behind her with a cocked firearm and ordered her to record apology videos.

The forum also alleged that Atinuke’s phone was taken, some of her videos were deleted and the apology recordings were subsequently posted.

Another allegation by the group was that approximately ₦1 million was collected from Atinuke’s relatives, with about ₦250,000 allegedly given to Adeleke while the remaining amount was reportedly retained by the police as “bail money.”

The forum called for the allegations to be independently investigated, insisting that any money collected legally should be properly accounted for and that anyone found to have acted unlawfully should face the law.

It subsequently urged the Inspector-General of Police to order an independent investigation into Atinuke’s arrest, transfer and treatment, while specifically calling for Superintendent Ayobami and other officers allegedly involved to be investigated.

The latest allegations have added a new dimension to the controversy, with sources claiming that police officers are now putting pressure on Atinuke’s relatives, including her aged grandfather, to produce her.

The sources also alleged that Atinuke expressed concern after discovering that she was being taken to the same office where she had previously been arrested, despite her family allegedly being told that she was required to appear before the Commissioner of Police.

The Elegant Nurses Forum had previously appealed to the National Human Rights Commission, women’s rights organisations, human rights groups and professional nursing bodies to intervene and ensure Atinuke’s protection from further intimidation.

The group also called for the preservation of CCTV footage from the Yaba hospital, police records, arrest and detention records, call and message logs, Atinuke’s phone and deleted files, social media communications, financial records and any audio or video recordings connected to the matter.

When contacted, Superintendent Ayobami reportedly did not respond to messages or calls concerning the latest allegations as of the time of filing the report.