When the wife of Kazeem Akeem, a ticket officer at New Market, in the Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State, gives birth anytime from November 2018, the baby will be without a father. Akeem was allegedly tortured to death by men of SARS, Ogun State Police Command, after he was arrested with some gamblers.
But the state police command accused the 32-year-old of robbery, adding that he took ill in custody and died at a hospital.PUNCH Metro learnt that Akeem was an executive member of a tricycle riders’ association operating around the market and was in charge of issuing tickets to the riders.It was gathered that a man had staked his money and phone at a gambling joint in the market on March 31, 2018, in anticipation to win an expensive phone.
After he lost out to the bet operator at the joint close to where Akeem operated, he was said to have approached the deceased to assist in the return of his valuables – a request Akeem reportedly declined.The loser was said to have left in anger and returned after some minutes with some SARS operatives, who picked up the gamblers and Akeem.
A friend of the deceased, who gave his name only as Damilare, told our correspondent that the operatives initially detained the suspects at a police station around the market.
He said an executive member of the tricycle riders’ association, who gave the tickets to Akeem, went to the station in the evening only to be told that they had been transferred to the SARS’ office in Abeokuta.
Damilare said, “Oba Olofin (Akeem) issued tickets to tricycle riders at New Market, Ijebu Ode. A man went to place a bet at a gambling joint in the market around 11am that day and he lost. He then brought SARS operatives to arrest five gamblers and Oba Olofin because he did not help him to beg for the recovery of the money and phone he lost in the bet.
“Oba Olofin’s boss, Abbey, followed the SARS men to the police station around the market to secure his bail. A policeman told him that it was a minor case and that he would be released before the end of that day. When Abbey went back in the evening, he was told that they had been taken to Abeokuta.
“The following Tuesday, the police charged the suspects with robbery in a court at Ijebu Ode, but Oba Olofin was not there. When the charges were read to them, they exclaimed that they were not robbers. The police told the court that the sixth person (Akeem) was dead. We were shocked.”
Damilare said after the arraignment, he and a lawyer on April 7, visited a prison in Ijebu Ode, where the defendants were remanded.
He said one of the accused, identified only as Rotimi, stated that Akeem died from torture in SARS custody and that they were allegedly framed.
A relative of the deceased, Sofiu Lawal, said the family had wanted to take the police up on the alleged killing, but rescinded the decision after they were told that they could not “win a case against government.”
“We believe that the SARS men deliberately killed him; but people advised us that we should collect his corpse and let go because we cannot get justice. His corpse had been released; he was buried two days ago,” he added.
The widow, 30-year-old Iyabo, said it was painful that she would give birth to a baby without a father, lamenting that Akeem’s death was a big blow to the family.