…How police rushed him to the hospital
…Died in the presence of his parents
…Neighbours said he was a gentle man
Policemen attached to the Elere Division, Agege, Lagos on
Thursday raided Ajayi Ibe Street, arresting and torturing three suspects, one
of which died the following day.
Punch Metro learnt that the victim, identified as Kazeem
Oyolola, had been a resident on the street for about one-and-a-half years.
It was further learnt that Oyolola, an indigene of Oyo
State, who was single and about 29 years, died at a private hospital in the
area on Friday after the beating by the policemen.
Our correspondent gathered that at about 10.30am on
Thursday, Oyolola and two of his friends went to a beer shop opposite his
residence, where they were taking drinks.
A police van with four policemen was said to have driven
into the street and went to an unknown destination. However, when the van was returning,
the policemen were said to have arrested the three men.
It was learnt that the police had arrested Oyolola and his
friends as suspected Internet fraudsters, otherwise known as Yahoo boys.
Our correspondent further gathered that while at the station,
the policemen had allegedly tortured the three men to make them confess to the
crime, during which Oyolola slumped.
The policemen, it was learnt, then rushed him to a nearby
hospital in the area, and allegedly told the medical personnel that Oyolola was
drunk.
However, as a result of the wounds sustained, he was said to
have died in the hospital at midnight in the presence of his parents who
travelled to Lagos after they learnt of his arrest.
When our correspondent visited the area, an eyewitness, said
the police simply dragged the three men inside the van without any explanation.
She said, “I was sitting in front of my shop when the police
van passed. They had initially come during the sanitation to pursue some
traders away, but when they got here, we were already through with the
exercise.
“Kazeem and his two friends were relaxing in the next shop.
The policemen just asked them to come inside the van, and took them away. We
did not know what they were arrested for. In the afternoon when we went to the
station, we were not allowed to enter.
“At evening time, when I came back to check, I heard he had
been taken to a nearby hospital, and that his condition was critical. By the
next morning, we heard that Kazeem had died, while his two friends who received
similar wounds had been released by the police to go and take care of themselves.
The youth in the area staged a protest against the incident.”
When our correspondent got to the hospital where Oyolola
died, the nurses and doctor on duty declined to give any comment on the matter.
At Oyolola’s residence, a tenant who begged for anonymity
noted that when she visited him at the hospital on Thursday evening, Oyolola’s
hands and legs were swollen, and he could not speak.
She said, “When I got to the hospital, his parents had
arrived to look after him. His hands and legs were swollen. His mouth was wide
open and he could not talk. You could see several bleeding spots all over his
body. I do not know what information the police received, but I can tell you
that Kazeem is an easygoing man in this area. He is a trader who deals in
Aluminium products, and he has a younger brother who stayed with him. He should
not have died in this cruel way.”
Our correspondent learnt that on Friday morning from about
10am, a large number of aggrieved youths in the area protested Oyolola’s death
to the police division. However, they were said to have been resisted by the
Rapid Response Squads, who allegedly shot into the air to scare away the
protesters.
Oyolola’s corpse, as of the time of report, was said to have
been deposited at a morgue in Yaba, Lagos.
The Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said
she would call our correspondent back, but had yet to do so at the time of
going to press.
Source: Punch
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