A trader of Igbo origin, who has not yet been identified, was reportedly tortured to death by police detectives in Ore, Odigbo council area of Ondo state. According to sources, the victim and three others were arrested after the police raided a hotel in the town. The four individuals were taken to the station where they were allegedly tortured until the victim’s health deteriorated, and he was quickly released to his family.
It was reported that the victim’s family had to pay a bail sum of N5,000 before he was released to them. Reports suggest that the victim died a day after he was released from police custody. According to the source, the police detectives were torturing him when they realized that his health had been negatively affected, and they immediately granted him bail at the sum of N5,000.
The other individuals arrested with the victim were reportedly granted bail at the sum of N20,000 each, which was paid through a PoS machine stationed at the police station. The family of the deceased took him to the hospital after securing his release on Tuesday, but he was pronounced dead after complaining of pain all over his body.
The family of the deceased took the corpse to the police station to express their grievances over his death. Policemen at the station allegedly fired shots into the air to disperse the protesters. Later, the family left the corpse in their car at the front of the station in protest.
The spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Funmi Odunlami, denied the report. Odunlami confirmed the police detectives’ raiding of some brothels in Ore and its environs, following reports of political thugs’ presence in the town. She stated that “on the strength of this information, policemen attached to Ore division embarked on a routine raid of black/flashpoints and brothels fingered to be where some of the miscreants were lodged. Suspects arrested were diligently screened and released on bond the next day.”
However, on Wednesday, 15th March 2023, one of the managers operating a brothel in the area called the DPO to inform him that some people had brought a lifeless body to his office, claiming that he died a day after he was released. These same people reportedly invaded the Police Divisional Headquarters of Ore, threatening to destroy and burn down the station, but they were dispersed by the men on duty.
Odunlami stated that the Ondo State Police Command does not handle issues relating to police brutality/incivility to the members of the public with kid gloves, as they are committed to upholding the primary duty of the job, which is the protection of lives and property with a high level of professionalism in handling cases reported. She urged the people of the state to disregard the news and assured them that the police would work tirelessly to build trust and foster positive relationships between the police and the public they serve.
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