Seyi Oduyiga, a father of three, has reportedly succumbed to torture while in the custody of the Ogun State Police Command.
The sequence of events unfolded after Oduyiga was apprehended during a police raid on November 18 at approximately 5:00 p.m.
Family members assert that he was merely charging his phone at the time of the arrest.
Following the raid, Oduyiga and other individuals were taken to the Awolowo police station in Sagamu, where the police accused him of involvement in cultism.
Sources in the area, preferring anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, informed DAILY POST that fellow suspected cultists, arrested alongside Oduyiga, vehemently denied his alleged association with any cult.
Despite the assertions of his innocence, Oduyiga was transferred to the police headquarters in Eleweran three days after the initial arrest.
His family’s persistent attempts to see him were met with refusal by the officers. It was only after this period that the shocking news of Oduyiga’s death reached his family.
Mary Oduyiga, the deceased’s sister, is demanding justice for her brother, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Seyi Oduyiga’s tragic demise while in police custody.
She explained, “We pleaded for his release, but they did not release him. They released the other person arrested, stating that the other one would be released because he did not have tattoos on his body. Seyi was denied bail. He was arrested on Saturday evening, and we went back there on Sunday and were told that Inspector Raji was the IPO. They asked us to come back on Monday; the family representatives did not see the IPO on Monday; they said he had stepped out.
“Seyi was begging to be released since he had not committed any offence. My brother, who was there, said the IPO threatened to ensure he made him suffer. The IPO threatened that he must be taken to Eleweran police headquarters, and he was eventually taken there on Tuesday.
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“I was living in Ibadan; I had to come to Abeokuta on Thursday evening over the matter. I went to Eleweran on Friday and took along foodstuffs: bread, malt, and bottled water. When I got there, I did not see the IPO; I was asked to wait for him. I got to Eleweran around 10:00 a.m. and could not see the IPO until 1:00 p.m. When I first met him and told him I wanted to see my elder brother, Seyi, he said I should go out and wait until he was finished.
“When I brought the food to the officers and said I wanted to give it to my brother in the cell, they charged me N2,000, but I paid N1,000 to a policewoman.
“After some time, I lost my patience, went back to the policewoman, and pleaded to be allowed to see my brother; then she agreed and took us to the cells. Some inmates said he had been taken out since morning; we were later called upstairs to meet the Deputy Commissioner. We did not know he wanted to break the bad news to us; he then said, “Your boy was misbehaving in the cell overnight; he was biting the inmates, talking to himself; he was behaving like he had run mad. They took him to the hospital, and on getting to the hospital, he gave up. He just stopped breathing.”
However, the family is adamant in their belief that their child met a tragic end by torture for refusing to pay a N200,000 bribe, as previously demanded by the police.
In response, SP Omolola Odutola, the spokesperson for the command, issued a statement refuting the allegations of torture leading to the victim’s death.
The police representative also emphasized that both the deceased and another suspect had previously confessed to being affiliated with the outlawed Buccaneer and Eiye confraternity secret cult. Seyi, in particular, admitted to being initiated in 2015.
“The Ogun State Police Command vehemently refutes that the deceased was tortured to death as it is being speculated in some online media.
“Torture is strictly against our protocols and principles. Ogun state police command is well versed in the legal framework that safeguards the rights of individuals in custody, free from all forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.”
Odutola refrained from commenting on the bribery accusation of N200,000.