Operatives of the Zonal Inspection Squad, Obada, Abeokuta, Ogun State, have allegedly tortured a guard, Jubril Mohammed, to death.
The 20-year-old was said to be among some suspects transferred from the Ibafo Police Station in a case of suspected stealing of company products.
After a few days at the station, the Borno State indigene was allegedly beaten to death by detectives investigating the theft.
The unit commander was said to have broken the news to the family on Monday.
The victim’s cousin, Saheed Isa, said Jubril had been working as a security guard at the company, Barka Nigeria Limited, Magboro, for about one year.
He said, “The owner of the company, a Lebanese, travelled out of the country. Jubril was called by some co-workers to join them in cleaning the warehouse preparatory to the arrival of their boss.
“That was going on when he was told that some things had been stolen from the warehouse. He asked the co-workers how he could know anything about it when he did not have access to the warehouse keys. Later, their boss invited the police and they were taken to Ibafo Police Station on Friday, December 14, 2018.”
Isa said although Jubril denied knowledge of the missing goods during interrogation, he identified two workers who earlier approached him to be part of a shady deal.
The victim reportedly claimed that he was asked by the men to either take N300,000, quit the job or get killed.
“He told us that he was afraid and he told other workers. He said he decided to agree with the gang to avoid being killed, but told the workers he confided in that when the gang brings trucks to steal the goods from the company, he would raise the alarm on them and shut the gate so that they could be arrested.
“Unknown to him, the gang had carried out the theft without informing him. That was why he was surprised when he was told goods had been stolen, and he quickly pointed out those he thought were culprits,” Isa added.
The relative said Jubril was released on bail after a few days in custody, adding that his father, Ibrahim Mohammed, paid N30,000 for the bail.
However, the 20-year-old was reportedly re-arrested on Thursday, December 20, as the case was transferred to the ZIS office at Abeokuta.
Jubril’s father, Ibrahim, said when he visited his son a day after he was re-arrested, he could not recognise the son any longer.
Mohammed said, “I went to the station on Friday and after waiting till evening, they brought him to me. I saw a lot of injuries on my son. They had tortured him seriously. He said they told him to confess or else they would kill him. He could barely walk. The owner of the company said the goods stolen were valued N7m to N8m.
“When I returned to visit him on Monday, their commander called me into his office and asked me if my son had been sick before, and I said no. He said my son was dead.
“I asked the police to release his corpse to me, but they said they want to conduct an autopsy. I asked if that would make him wake up. I want to bury him. I don’t have anybody to fight for me.”
The Zone 2 Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Dolapo Badmos, said an investigation was ongoing into the matter.
He said, “It’s a case of people suspected to have stolen their company goods estimated at N10m. About five of them were arrested. The suspect in question made a voluntary confessional statement to the police and even led operatives to the receiver of the stolen goods; the goods were recovered.
“While the investigation was ongoing, he complained of stomach ache. The father also attested that he had an ulcer. He brought medication to be used, but the police said they cannot administer it. They took him to a hospital where he died. They initially thought he was pretending but he was taken to a hospital where he died. An autopsy will be done on the corpse to determine the actual cause of death.”
Punch
The 20-year-old was said to be among some suspects transferred from the Ibafo Police Station in a case of suspected stealing of company products.
After a few days at the station, the Borno State indigene was allegedly beaten to death by detectives investigating the theft.
The unit commander was said to have broken the news to the family on Monday.
The victim’s cousin, Saheed Isa, said Jubril had been working as a security guard at the company, Barka Nigeria Limited, Magboro, for about one year.
He said, “The owner of the company, a Lebanese, travelled out of the country. Jubril was called by some co-workers to join them in cleaning the warehouse preparatory to the arrival of their boss.
“That was going on when he was told that some things had been stolen from the warehouse. He asked the co-workers how he could know anything about it when he did not have access to the warehouse keys. Later, their boss invited the police and they were taken to Ibafo Police Station on Friday, December 14, 2018.”
Isa said although Jubril denied knowledge of the missing goods during interrogation, he identified two workers who earlier approached him to be part of a shady deal.
The victim reportedly claimed that he was asked by the men to either take N300,000, quit the job or get killed.
“He told us that he was afraid and he told other workers. He said he decided to agree with the gang to avoid being killed, but told the workers he confided in that when the gang brings trucks to steal the goods from the company, he would raise the alarm on them and shut the gate so that they could be arrested.
“Unknown to him, the gang had carried out the theft without informing him. That was why he was surprised when he was told goods had been stolen, and he quickly pointed out those he thought were culprits,” Isa added.
The relative said Jubril was released on bail after a few days in custody, adding that his father, Ibrahim Mohammed, paid N30,000 for the bail.
However, the 20-year-old was reportedly re-arrested on Thursday, December 20, as the case was transferred to the ZIS office at Abeokuta.
Jubril’s father, Ibrahim, said when he visited his son a day after he was re-arrested, he could not recognise the son any longer.
Mohammed said, “I went to the station on Friday and after waiting till evening, they brought him to me. I saw a lot of injuries on my son. They had tortured him seriously. He said they told him to confess or else they would kill him. He could barely walk. The owner of the company said the goods stolen were valued N7m to N8m.
“When I returned to visit him on Monday, their commander called me into his office and asked me if my son had been sick before, and I said no. He said my son was dead.
“I asked the police to release his corpse to me, but they said they want to conduct an autopsy. I asked if that would make him wake up. I want to bury him. I don’t have anybody to fight for me.”
The Zone 2 Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Dolapo Badmos, said an investigation was ongoing into the matter.
He said, “It’s a case of people suspected to have stolen their company goods estimated at N10m. About five of them were arrested. The suspect in question made a voluntary confessional statement to the police and even led operatives to the receiver of the stolen goods; the goods were recovered.
“While the investigation was ongoing, he complained of stomach ache. The father also attested that he had an ulcer. He brought medication to be used, but the police said they cannot administer it. They took him to a hospital where he died. They initially thought he was pretending but he was taken to a hospital where he died. An autopsy will be done on the corpse to determine the actual cause of death.”
Punch
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