Policemen allegedly raid Ogun community, torture farmer to death

It was a tale of sorrow, pains and tears as policemen suspected to be from the Magbon Police Division in Ogun State, stormed a local community and carried out

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Punch reports that the policemen who are from the Anti-Robbery Squad of the state police command, invaded the Ajibawo village in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area abducted the deceased, Segun Elegbede, a 42-year-old farmer, who later died in their custody from toruture.

Apart from the death of the victim, the policemen were also said to have looted shops in the community, stealing goods worth several thousands of Naira.

The victim, it was gathered, was abducted after he tried to find out what the villagers had done to deserve the invasion.

He was said to have been taken away to the Division and prevented from seeing friends and family members and after some days of being in detention, they called his family members to inform them that their brother was dead and they should go and collect his corpse from a morgue in the state.

A hairdresser who lives in the community, Modinat Akinola, told newsmen that no one could tell the reason for the attack, adding that the policemen also looted her shop.

“On the day they came, I saw about four policemen around 3pm; they came in a commercial bus. Suddenly they started shooting, and everybody fled.

I tried to hide inside my shop with my two children. Other policemen later arrived in a patrol van. They broke into my shop and damaged my refrigerator and other electronics.

They took away my phones, recharge cards, ATM cards, money, canned malt, tin milk and bottled drinks, among others.

The value of everything is about N400,000. A man, who was sleeping in the house beside my shop, was attacked and taken away that day.”

The wife of the murdered farmer, Fatimoh, said she was not allowed to her husband all the days he was in detention before he was killed by the police.

“I was not around on the day the police came. When I got back to the community, everywhere was deserted. When I entered our house, I saw that it had been vandalised.

When I got to Magbon Police Division, I was not allowed to see my husband; they kept asking me to exercise patience.

After seven days, the police called my husband’s sister that she should come for his corpse,” she added.

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However, the police authorities in the state have denied the involvement of police officers in the invasion and murder of Elegbede, saying the men who attacked the village were militants who wore police uniforms to disguise themselves.