The seventh defendant in the murder case of Miss Olajide Blessing, a student of the University of Ilorin, has narrated his ordeal in the hands of the Directorate of State Services (DSS).
Daud Bashir Adebayo, when called to the witness box on Monday, disclosed that the DSS operative by the name Femi Babalola threatened to kill him if he refused to cooperate with them.
- Nigeria, Niger meet over Boko Haram
- Kubwa market inferno: FCTA issues 24-hour ultimatum to illegal shop owners
He said, “While I was in custody, an officer by the name Mr Rasheed came to my cell, handcuffed my hands and legs before leading me to a room.
“He asked me if I could read and write and I said yes, so he handed me a pen and paper to write my bio data and everything that I knew about the matter, and I did just that.
“Few minutes after, another operative of DSS by the name Femi Babalola came into the room, he glanced through the paper I wrote; thereafter he angrily complained that I didn’t write what they wanted me to write.
“After slapping me, he tore the statement I had written into pieces, alleging I was trying to play them.
“He later electrocuted me with a taser also known as stun gun, then he made me promise to do their bidding henceforth.
“Thereafter, Mr Femi Babalola brought a new paper and asked me if I was ready to cooperate with them or else he would kill me and nothing would happen.
“I became scared, so I started begging for my life, I promised them that I was ready to do whatever they wanted me to, because he noted that they had killed many people like myself, so mine wouldn’t make a difference.”
He, therefore, dismissed the entire contents of the confessional statement attributed to him, claiming that it did not represent his side of the story.
Also, his biological father who is also a witness in the case, Dauda Ayinde, a motorcycle mechanic, said the DSS stormed their Tanke Oke-Odo residence late in the night to arrest his son without identifying themselves.
He said, “They promised to return my son home within 20 minutes, but I didn’t know his whereabouts for like three days.
“After searching all around for him, I was made to understand that he was arrested and taken to the custody of DSS. I went to their office on the 14th of June but I was refused entry by the security, the same thing was repeated all the three times I was at their office, they only promised to call me when they’re ready.”
The prosecuting counsel and Attorney General of Kwara State, Barr Salman Jawondo, said that contrary to the claim made by Bashir, he was interrogated by Mr Rasheed.
In his ruling, Justice Adebayo Yusuf ordered that the case be adjourned to November 15 and 16, 2021.
