Police Brutality - 21-yr-old carpenter tortured to death by ASP

A 21-year-old carpenter, Ganiyu Akinyemi, would not live to tell what he went through in the hands of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), identified as Salawu Kazeem, who allegedly arrested the young artisan, detained and tortured him to death in the Aboru area of Lagos State.

According to the Punch, the ASP who is attached to the Ogun State Police Command Headquarters, but a lives on Omifisoye Avenue, Ago Estate, Aboru, had led four other men to the deceased's house on Victor Fagbemi Street in the area andarrested him over an allegation of three stole T-shirts in a house he had carried out repair works the previous day. It was gathered that the ASP lives in the same house.

The late Akinyemi, an indigene of Aiyetoro in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, was arrested and taken to the Oke-Odo Police Division where Kazeem allegedly brutalized him to death.

It was learnt that when family members of the carpenter went to the Oke Odo Police Division in the evening of the day he was arrested to find out what the situation was, he was no where to be found, while no report had been made in the station, only to be called at around 3am the next that their son had been admitted at the Oke Odo General Hospital.

When the family members got to the hospital, they were said to have been confronted with the sad news that their son was dead.

The matter was thereafter reported to the Oke Odo Police Division on Tuesday and the ASP and two of the men were arrested, while two others escaped.

The ASP was said to have told the parents of the deceased that his death was a mistake but the family gathered that he was tortured severely till he lost consciousness.

Speaking on the matter, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Joe Offor, confirmed the ASP’s arrest, adding that the case would be transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, for further investigation.

“The police cannot confirm yet whether the ASP and the men killed the victim or not because investigation is still ongoing. The police officer and two others have been arrested, and the case will be transferred to the SDCI where detailed investigation will be carried out.”