Suspect dies in Amotekun custody, family demands justice

A suspect, Monday Joseph, has died in the custody of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State after he was allegedly tortured by the personnel of the local security outfit.  Family members of the suspect, who revealed his death on Tuesday in Akure, accused the Amotekun Corps of killing Joseph after he was arrested in Owo […]

A suspect, Monday Joseph, has died in the custody of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State after he was allegedly tortured by the personnel of the local security outfit. 

Family members of the suspect, who revealed his death on Tuesday in Akure, accused the Amotekun Corps of killing Joseph after he was arrested in Owo Local Government Area of the state. 

It was gathered that Joseph, who is also the breadwinner of his family, was apprehended last month over alleged cult-related activities – which had been threatening the peace of the community. 

He, however, died a few days after his arrest by operatives of the corps. 

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Pained by his death, a sister to the deceased, Veronica alleged that the family members were denied access to Joseph while in the custody of the Amotekun Corps. 

She explained that the family was only informed of Joseph’s death after his corpse was evacuated and deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owo. 

While calling for investigation into the incident, Veronica said the family will not allow the case to be swept under the carpet, insisting that justice must be served. 

“Nigerians should fight for me. He (Joseph) was a farmer. He had a child and our mother is still alive. I don’t know why he was arrested. He was arrested at the residence of his girlfriend. They didn’t allow me to see him. I was told he was beaten seriously on Sunday and on Monday he was said to have died.

“I saw his corpse on Tuesday. The mortuary attendant said it was Amotekun officer that brought the body. He was the breadwinner of our family; we hail from Delta State. He was born and brought up in Ondo State,” he said. 

Ibukun Fasanmi, a counsel to the family, said a petition has been forwarded to the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of the State Security (DSS), demanding that both security agencies carry out full-scale investigation into the case. 

Reacting, Mr Adetunji Adeleye, Commander of the Amotekun Corps, denied that the suspect was tortured to death by his personnel while in custody. 

Adeleye, who noted that Joseph was arrested for alleged cult-related activities, said the suspects took ill in custody and was rushed to the hospital where he gave up the ghost. 

“He was never tortured. He became sick and was rushed to the hospital, where he died,” he said.