If Monsuru Akanji had known that he was going to be detained and subsequently lose his life over his own property, probably he would have constantly been moving around with the receipt of the item.

Last Tuesday, Monsuru, a 30-year-old former student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, died after he was allegedly tortured to death by a police Sergeant (names withheld) attached to the Testing Ground Police Station in Ibadan over an allegation that he stole a laptop valued at N65,000.

The father of the deceased, Mr. Rasaki Akanji, while speaking with Saturday Tribune in his house in Monatan area of the state capital on Friday, said that his son was tortured to death by the policeman.

Mr. Akanji, a pensioner, said he was at home on Monday around 9:40 p.m., when the policeman and four others including his son arrived at his residence.

According to him, the policeman had asked him to identify the suspect, which he did.

“I told them that the boy, which they put in handcuffs, was my son. He was said to have stolen a laptop belonging to one of his friends, Dele Dare, who is a student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Osun State.

"I asked them if my son was the only suspect and they claimed that there were other suspects,” he said.

The policeman reportedly told the deceased's father that investigation had taken them to the house of another suspect, Adisa Tijani, whom, the deceased claimed, was aware of the laptop.

The elder Akanji said that in his presence, his deceased son was beaten up by the policeman, saying that even when the deceased was asking for water and food, the policeman refused to oblige him.

Mr Akanji, who was crying while speaking with Saturday Tribune, said that when he got to the station, the deceased was sleeping on the floor and was very weak, while complaining of pains all over his body.

“The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) did not give Monsuru any form of food till 11:00 p.m. He asked us to come back the following day, Tuesday. We left the police station at 12 midnight,” he said

According to Mr. Akanji, when he and other members of his family got to the police station around 9:00 a.m. on

Tuesday, they were told that the IPO was not around.

“We were there till 6:30 p.m. When I went to the main desk at the station, we were told that the deceased was not in the cell and the IPO was not around too. I later met the Station Officer, identified as Mr.Samuel, who confirmed that they had not seen the IPO since morning.

"Later, he said they were told that the boy fell ill in the night and was rushed to the hospital for treatment."

According to Akanji, he, along with some other people with him, went to the state hospitals at Adeoyo and Ring-Road, where they were told that the deceased was not there and they returned to the police station.

On getting back to the station, they were asked to come back on Wednesday where the Area Commander and the Station Officer confirmed to him that the boy was dead.

“It was at this point that I demanded that I should be allowed to see my son and the Area Commander asked eight policemen to escort me to the hospital mortuary. We saw the body of my son with marks.

“The policemen had to run away when they were aware that their presence was being recorded by some mediamen who were at the mortuary to see the corpse,” he added.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the IPO brought the body of the suspect to the mortuary at about 8:14 a.m. on Tuesday. It was learnt further that the medical personnel initially refused to admit the deceased until the Area Commander came to identify the policeman, who was not in uniform and had no police identity card with him.

An eyewitness, Mr. Taiwo Yusuf, a trader at Monatan, told Saturday Tribune that when they got to the station on Tuesday, the deceased was found hanging and that it took the intervention of some people before the IPO could untie him. By the time he did, the deceased was tired and unable to stand up on his feet.

According to him, they were pleading that the second suspect be released when the IPO reportedly demanded that they should pay N10,000 for bail and that after “negotiation,” they allegedly settled him with N5,000.

The father of the deceased, while calling for justice, called on the state police commissioner to curb the recklessness of his men, investigate the incident and ensure that the culprit was brought to book.

However, the Police Public Relations (PPRO), DSP Olabisi Okuwobi, told Saturday Tribune that no suspects was tortured to death.

Reacting to the incident, the police image maker noted that the man was only a suspect in detention, who suddenly fell ill and was rushed to the hospital where he died.

She said that the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, had assured that no stone would be left unturned in unravelling the circumstances that led to the death of the suspect as they were awaiting post-mortem examination.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/features/816-policeman-killed-him-after-accusing-him-of-stealing-laptop-father-cries-for-justice.html

Ah! Very sad, may his soul rest in perfect peace and may God give the poor father the fortitude to bear this loss.
As for the police who tortured him to death,he that live by the sword shall die by the sword,he will die like a fowl,
Shikena!

Nigerian police at it agian. Killing innocent Civilian for 65k laptop why the main criminal are walking boldly on the street.

How we love to wish the unjustly departed sorry and goodbye. we never ask what must be done, I doubt any policeman in Nigeria today who has committed murder of an innocent citizen has ever been brought to book and killed or locked up for life for his crime.

We all like to say sorry, May his soul rest in piece, one day it will be you and i doubt you will want people to just wish you sorry and rest in piece

lagerwhenindoubt:

How we love to wish the unjustly departed sorry and goodbye. we never ask what must be done, I doubt any policeman in Nigeria today who has committed murder of an innocent citizen has ever been brought to book and killed or locked up for life for his crime.

We all like to say sorry, May his soul rest in piece, one day it will be you and i doubt you will want people to just wish you sorry and rest in piece

Please suggest an alternative against armed mercenieries for hire.

lagerwhenindoubt:

How we love to wish the unjustly departed sorry and goodbye. we never ask what must be done, I doubt any policeman in Nigeria today who has committed murder of an innocent citizen has ever been brought to book and killed or locked up for life for his crime.

We all like to say sorry, May his soul rest in piece, one day it will be you and i doubt you will want people to just wish you sorry and rest in piece

And what would you have us {on Nairaland} do?

I weep for this young man and a needless death.

Two of the main problems in the Nigerian Police Force are Illiteracy and Poverty.

A sweeping educational initiative should commence immediately complete with exams. All those who cannot attain to the required standards should be retrained as a matter of priority on proper policing ethic.

But this is not enough , I also feel sad for the policemen who are expected to contribute so much including their very lives, and yet their income is so pitiable and shameful, they live in ghettos called barracks and they are a national object of scorn. They need good wages, good housing and proper respect in perspective.


Back to this crime, surely the policeman who did this MUST face the full wrath of the LAW.

frosbel:

I weep for this young man and a needless death.

Two of the main problems in the Nigerian Police Force are Illiteracy and Poverty.

A sweeping educational initiative should commence immediately complete with exams. All those who cannot attain to the required standards should be retrained as a matter of priority on proper policing ethic.

But this is not enough , I also feel sad for the policemen who are expected to contribute so much including their very lives, and yet their income is so pitiable and shameful, they live in ghettos called barracks and they are a national object of scorn. They need good wages, good housing and proper respect in perspective.


Back to this crime, surely the policeman who did this MUST face the full wrath of the LAW.

True.

The Police is not well trained on proper code of conduct towards citizenry.

And to make matters worse, most of them are a buncha trigger happy sad men who are not properly motivated.

The force should be completely overhauled and drafted into the Nigerian Army while young bright freshly trained people are recruited into the police force.

I believe that the Nigerian Bar Association or even the office of the Attorney General can set up an independent body such as the likes of {EFCC} that will effectively handle cases involving extra judicail kilings.

The salaries, bonuses and promotion of members constituting such bodies should be tied to the number of cases they effectively investigate and try in each year.

frosbel:

I weep for this young man and a needless death.

Two of the main problems in the Nigerian Police Force are Illiteracy and Poverty.

A sweeping educational initiative should commence immediately complete with exams. All those who cannot attain to the required standards should be retrained as a matter of priority on proper policing ethic.

But this is not enough , I also feel sad for the policemen who are expected to contribute so much including their very lives, and yet their income is so pitiable and shameful, they live in ghettos called barracks and they are a national object of scorn. They need good wages, good housing and proper respect in perspective.


Back to this crime, surely the policeman who did this MUST face the full wrath of the LAW.

God bless you!

But what's the botanical name for these things?

*BAD GOVERNMENT*

frosbel:



Back to this crime, surely the policeman who did this MUST face the full wrath of the LAW.

To which law abegi? Does Nigeria have one?

When relatives of these victims start hiring hitmen to kill these murderous police men in their homes or worse target their family members is when these police men will start thinking twice b4 murdering innocent people. our people are too tolerant and its not helping matters at all. i will take matters into my hands if i lose a loved one like this. no amount of call for justice or RIP will stop this from occuring again.

if there is any organ of government that need total reform it is Nigerian police, they are law unto themselves and it is high time we made them believe that they are not above the law. So sad the boy was wasted, i could imagine many lives that are wasted everyday due to their over zealousness.

As the days go by, the value of the lives of Nigerians continue to deteriorate so much so that now it has become worthless. Another young promising life has just been wasted. How does an average Nigerian policeman see a fellow Nigerian or betterstill what is the value of an average Nigerian citizen to a Nigerian policeman?

Even if this boy truly stole the laptop, is the punishment supposed to be death by torture?