A suspected cultist, Oduyiga Seyi, has died in the cell of the Ogun State Police Command after alleged torture by the command’s operatives.
Seyi Oduyiga, a 39-year-old father of three, was reportedly arrested in connection with a rival cultists’ clash in Sagamu, where more than 20 people were killed recently.
The victim’s younger sister, Mary, explained that, “On Saturday, November 18, around 5pm, my brother went out to charge his phone around his house on the same street. There was no electricity; a neighbour put on a generator and he went there to charge his phone. His house is at Atoyo in Sagamu. He sat under the tree in front of the house where he was charging his phone and took off his clothes due to the heat.
“He saw a team of policemen on patrol, and he attempted to run away but fell down and was arrested. He was taken to Awolowo Police Station along with one other person.
”The police accused him of being a member of a cult, but he denied it. They took his picture and sent it to some suspected cultists who denied knowing him.
“The police said he would not be released because he had tattoos on his body, whereas the tattoos were Psalm 23. He wrote the verse of the Bible on his body, drew the two hands of Jesus supplicating on his chest with the inscription: ‘Only God can judge me’. He also wrote on his neck: ‘The day I will never forget’ dated ‘April 7, 2014’.
Mary hinted that the family would brief lawyers in order to file a petition to seek justice for her brother’s death
Reacting on Sunday, the spokesman of the command, Omololoa Odutola, admitted that the suspect died in police cell, but said he was not tortured.
Odutola said, “Torture is strictly against our protocols and principles. The 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.
“For the records, the deceased was already charged for cult-related activities and he was taken to court on Thursday, 23rd November, 2023, where he was to be arraigned before a special court on cultism case in Isabo, Abeokuta, but the honourable court did not sit and he was brought back to Eleweran in Abeokuta the same Thursday.
“Seyi was to be taken back to the court at the next available day that the court will sit, which was on Friday, 24th November, 2023.”
“However, on Friday, 24th November, at about 0500 hours, Seyi went berserk, shouting, biting his teeth and assaulted other suspects in the cell until he got exhausted. Other suspects in the cell alerted policemen on duty.
“He was taken to the police hospital and later to Ijaye General Hospital, Abeokuta, along with other suspects he gave bites to in the cell, for medical treatment against infection. Other suspects were treated and discharged, but Seyi, while on medical attention, later gave up the ghost.”
Odutola disclosed that the command had commenced an autopsy to determine the cause of his death and that as soon as the autopsy report is out, the police will give further details.”
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