Man collapses before police free three detained witnesses
A man collapsed in police custody after officers at Ijede Police Station in Lagos State allegedly detained three men who reported the death of an unidentified man at Igbe-Laara market, with the complainants claiming they were released only after the collapse.
The three men, Olarenwaju Tajudeen, Godwin Okwuosa and Adeyemi Lateef, said they had gone to the station to report the death, expecting the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. Instead, they alleged, they found themselves behind bars, with one of them eventually requiring hospital treatment.
Etim Ekpimah
A man collapsed in police custody after officers at Ijede Police Station in Lagos State allegedly detained three men who reported the death of an unidentified man at Igbe-Laara market, with the complainants claiming they were released only after the collapse.
The three men, Olarenwaju Tajudeen, Godwin Okwuosa and Adeyemi Lateef, said they had gone to the station to report the death, expecting the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. Instead, they alleged, they found themselves behind bars, with one of them eventually requiring hospital treatment.
Tajudeen described their experience as shocking, questioning how members of the public could be expected to assist the police if reporting an incident could allegedly lead to detention.
He said, “After the man died at about 7 pm, the three of us went to Ijede Police Station around 9 pm to report the incident. After taking our statements and addresses, they decided to lock us up. We were only released when our colleague, Godwin Okwuosa, collapsed in front of them and was rushed to General Hospital, Ijede.
“With this, how do you expect people to continue reporting incidents to the police? I pity Nigerians. If something happens, how can you expect people to help?”
Recounting the events that led to the police report from his hospital bed, Okwuosa said the deceased was a familiar face in the area who regularly visited the market and sometimes begged passers-by for money.
According to him, the man returned to the market on Monday and appeared unwell, prompting some people to offer him water and food.
However, the man reportedly ate nothing and sat by himself. When people noticed his unusual silence and approached him, they discovered that he had died.
The incident occurred in the busy Igbe-Laara market, where members of the public were present, Okwuosa said.
Concerned about the circumstances of the death, he and his two colleagues decided to report the incident to the police.
Okwuosa said the officers initially took their statements and asked them to leave. However, the three men had walked only about 200 metres from the station when they received a telephone call directing them to return because the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) wanted to see them.
“When we got back to the station, the DPO accused us of attempting to escape. Before we could say anything, he ordered our arrest and detention,” Okwuosa alleged.
He described the detention facility as filthy and cramped, saying the conditions made it difficult for them to sleep.
“I told him I was taking medication and needed to rest,” he said.
It was further alleged that the police insisted on bail conditions before releasing them, despite having learnt that the deceased’s family had retrieved the body from the scene.
He said he collapsed during the ordeal and could not clearly recall what happened afterwards.
It was gathered that the deceased’s family went to another police station and obtained assistance from officers, who accompanied them to Igbe-Laara before the body was removed.
The circumstances surrounding the man’s death remain unclear, and no cause of death was established in the accounts provided by the witnesses.
The allegations against the officers at Ijede Police Station also remained unresolved at the time of reporting.
Our correspondent contacted the Lagos State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, at about 11 pm to seek the command’s response to the allegations.
The spokesperson referred our correspondent to the police control room.
An officer at the control room said he had also attempted to contact the Ijede DPO and the District Crime Officer, but their telephone numbers were unavailable.
The police had yet to provide an official account of the incident or respond to the allegations of detention and the circumstances surrounding Okwuosa’s collapse.
The incident has raised concerns about how members of the public who report deaths and other emergencies are treated, particularly when their cooperation is vital to police investigations.
