How police in Ilorin killed my son over N400,000 dispute — Mother

Fausat Adeyemi, the mother of a student reportedly killed by the police in Ilorin, Kwara State, says he was killed over a N400,000 dispute with a friend.

Suleiman Adeyemi died last Tuesday after he was brutally beaten by police officers attempting to arrest him in the Tanke area of Ilorin. A video of the police assault has gone viral on social media.

He was waiting for mobilisation for the mandatory National Youth Service before the tragedy.

Mrs Adeyemi spoke with PREMIUM TIMES via phone on Sunday, explaining the circumstances that led to her son’s death.

She said her son had a business deal with a friend, involving a payment of N2.4 million into his account. She added that Suleiman had paid N2 million and promised to pay the balance later.

Mrs Adeyemi said a dispute over the balance led to police involvement after the friend filed a complaint at Ganmo Police Station, on the outskirts of Ilorin. According to her, three men from the police station went to Tipper Garage, a students residential area, to arrest Suleiman.

However, instead of arresting Suleiman, she said the police beat him brutally, ignoring pleas from passersby.

“He was waiting for NYSC mobilisation. We need all the help we can get. We want justice for Suleiman,” Mrs Adeyemi said, sobbing over the phone.

She said the three police officers and the complainant had been arrested.

Mrs Adeyemi shared pictures of the deceased’s body with this reporter, showing some of the wounds the deceased sustained, including one on his forehead.

The body of Mr Aiyeyemi showing bruises from the beating

She added that the police refused to give the family the names of the officers and the complainant.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the family again on Monday, the younger sister of the deceased, Amina, said the family visited the Kwara State Police Commissioner, Victor Olaiya, at the State Command Headquarters in Ilorin early in the day.

She stated that the Commissioner assured them that the three police officers would be properly charged once the autopsy result is available.

“He said we should rest assured that the case would be handled swiftly. The three policemen are already in custody, although we did not see them.

“The officer in charge of the case asked our lawyer to come on Tuesday for further discussions. We also submitted a petition addressed to the Inspector-General of Police. The commissioner admitted that what they did was wrong but assured us that they would do the right thing,” she said.

The family’s lawyer, Tunji Oyedepo, corroborated some of their statements and shared a copy of the petition with PREMIUM TIMES, noting that the commissioner assured them the police would investigate and prosecute the case without bias.

Victim resisted arrest – Police

When contacted, the police spokesperson in the state, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the case that led to Suleiman’s death was of “cheating and criminal breach of trust”.

She also stated that Suleiman resisted arrest, leading to a “struggle”, which resulted in his death.

The body of Mr Aiyeyemi showing bruises from the beating

The body of Mr Aiyeyemi showing bruises from the beating

“When the police went there to effect the arrest—they had previously invited him, but he did not respond—it was when they went to effect the arrest that he refused to follow them. This led to a struggle, which resulted in the unfortunate incident. The investigation is ongoing, and the officers involved have been arrested,” she confirmed.

The spokesperson declined to reveal the names of the officers, citing the ongoing investigation. She also refused to provide an update on the arraignment of the officers.

Unending Extrajudicial Killings by Police

The Nigerian police are notorious for harassment, brutality, and extrajudicial killings. In 2020, the activities of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led to nationwide protests known as EndSARS. The protests demanded police reform. However, the government has yet to take any substantial action to reform the force.

Kwara State also has a history of police brutality. In 2022, the state command announced investigations into 26 officers attached to the anti-cult and anti-cybercrime units for various offences.

Last month, three former police officers accused of murdering a student in the state were arraigned in court on charges of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.

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The officers — two former inspectors, Abiodun Kayode and James Emmanuel, and a sergeant, Oni Philip — were dismissed following their indictment in a police investigation report.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the officers were dismissed from the force following investigations into the death of Qoyum Ishola, a student at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.