Ondo policemen kill driver in custody, label him armed robber

A member of the Ondo State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, identified as Gbenga Omolo, has died after being allegedly tortured by some policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state Police Command.
A source in the union told our correspondent on Wednesday that the 70-year-old man was arrested by SARS last Thursday following a misunderstanding between him and a police officer, whose name was not disclosed, leading to the duo engaging blows at the Arakale area of the town.
The source explained that the following day, the policeman, who fought with the motorist, mobilised six men of the SARS to arrest the deceased and some other people in the area and detained them in their custody, where Omolo was allegedly being tortured.
In detention, the source alleged that Omolo was tortured by the policemen until he died in their custody.
According to the source, when the family members of deceased visited the station, located on Oda Road, Akure, to secure his bail, the men on duty demanded N150,000, which they said they could not afford at that time.

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On Tuesday morning , however, it was gathered that the branch chairman of union, identified as Muyiwa, went to the station with N100,000 to bail his detained member, but was informed that the man had died in SARS custody and his remains had been deposited at the mortuary.
Shortly after, the source added that the family visited the mortuary, where the remains of the deceased was deposited with a label on his body, indicating that he was an armed robber.
Meanwhile, the state Public Relations Officer, Mr Wole Ogodo, was said to be unavailable for comment as of the time of filing this report.
A source in the command told our correspondent on Wednesday that all the policemen involved in the incident had been arrested and detained at the police headquarters along Igbatoro Road, Akure.
The family of the deceased also declined to speak with our correspondent on the matter as they said the state commissioner of police, Mr Isaac Eke, had invited them to his office for deliberation on the matter.