Afe Babalola & Co petitions IG, Adamu over death of Ibadan businessman in police custody

A legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola, on Monday, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the arrest and death of one Mr. Kehinde Omotosho.

Afe Babalola in a petition made available to DAILY POST in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, alleged that Omotosho was arrested and detained by some officers of the anti-cultism unit of the Oyo State Criminal Investigation Department last week.

The legal luminary further explained that Omotosho was detained for six days without trial, the arrest which led to his death in police custody.

Afe Babalola & Co in a petition signed by one of the lawyers in his chamber, Mr Oluwasina Ogungbade, appealed to Adamu to use his office to set up an investigation into the allegations contained in his petition.

He said, “We are Solicitors to Miss Khadijat Omotosho (for herself and on behalf of other children of the late Mr Kehinde Omotosho), and gave her instructions to present to you, this Petition regarding the unlawful arrest, detention and eventual death of her father, Mr Kehinde Omotosho, (hereinafter referred to as the deceased) on 21st July 2020 while in the custody of the police officers attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Oyo State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

On Monday, 20th July 2020, the deceased and Mr Jelili Razaq was brought before the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Cultism Unit for interview. In the course of the interview, the OC demanded that both the deceased and Mr Jelili Razaq produce their prime suspect, Mr Kabiru before they could be released. However, both the deceased and Mr Jelili Razaq informed the OC that they were all co-tenants and that Mr Kabiru had relocated to another place and did not inform them of his new location. Nevertheless, the OC insisted that their release would be consequent upon their production of Mr Kabiru. They were, thereafter, returned to the cell. It was at the point of this interview that the police informed the deceased and Mr Jelili Razaq that the prime suspect, Mr Kabiru, was involved in a fight, which led to the death of a person. There was however no suspicion or allegation that either the deceased or Mr Jelili Razaq were involved in the said fight or committed any crime whatsoever.

“The following day, i.e. on 21st July at about 5 am, Mr Kehinde Omotosho, our clients’ father, died in police custody. Prior to his death, the deceased spent 5 days in detention while Mr Jelili Razaq spent 6 days before being released on bail, both without any investigation, reasonable suspicion of a crime, or arraignment.

“From the moment of their arrest and until the death of the deceased, the officers of the Anti-Cultism Unit prevented the deceased’s and Mr Jelili Razaq’s family members from visiting them or providing them with food. Prior to his unlawful arrest, detention and death, the deceased had no underlying medical ailment”.
But, Police Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi, while reacting, said that the deceased took ill in detention and was taken to the police clinic where he later died.

Fadeyi added that autopsy will still be conducted on the deceased body so as to know the cause of death.

“What happened was a clash between the OPC and some suspected cultist around Agugu area of Ibadan, which led to the death of someone, the arrest was made and some suspects arrested were screened according to the level of their involvement in the clash, the suspect might be detained more than 24 hours when it comes to the issue of murders and rape so as to do investigation properly.”

Source: Copied from Daily Source

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