A commercial motorcyclist has d!ed in a police cell after being allegedly tortured by officers of the Ago-Iwoye Police Division, Ogun State.
The deceased, identified only as Ganiyu and said to be an indigene of Oke-Ogun in Oyo State, was arrested after some unidentified assailants robbed one of his customers.
Sources familiar with the matter told Punch that Ganiyu was severely beaten while in police custody, allegedly leading to his de@th.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said Ganiyu had been sent on an errand on Saturday, September 27, by some persons in the community. However, before he returned, armed robbers reportedly attacked the people who sent him.
“Out of suspicion, they reported him to the Ago-Iwoye Police Division,” the source said.
A former student union leader of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Oluwabunmi Awoyemi, who shared the incident on X on Sunday, September 28, wrote, “On 27/09/2025, around 1:30 am, some guys who lived around Mini Campus asked Ganiyu (the victim) to help buy petrol.
“While he was away, they were attacked and robbed. Robbery has been rampant in Ago-Iwoye for a while, yet nothing has been done about it. But when Ganiyu returned, suspicion immediately fell on him, which simply made him feel guilty.
“The case was reported to the Ago-Iwoye Police Station. Instead of investigating or finding the real robbers, the officers chose the easy target.
“They tied him up. They beat him mercilessly with batons. They slashed and tortured him with machetes until his young body couldn’t take it anymore.
“He was rushed to the Love and Care Hospital, where he was declared de@d. His body is now lying cold at the Ijebu-Ode General Hospital Mortuary.”
Speaking with Punch on Monday, September 29, Awoyemi clarified that his account was based on information shared by members of the local motorcycle riders’ association, noting his previous role as a union leader in the community.
A member of the Oke-Ogun Motorcycle Riders Association in Ago-Iwoye, identified only as Temitope, confirmed the incident, adding that the Divisional Police Officer was not at the station when it occurred.
“The incident had occurred before I was notified. Two of our members were detained; one of them is now de@d and in the mortuary.
“We learnt that after Ganiyu was booked, the officers informed their DPO, who wasn’t in the office at the time, that one of the detainees had died.
“Most times, riders are seen as people without families. The DPO can’t say exactly what happened except for what the officers told him. Nobody would expect them to confess to what they did.”
He added: “Before things escalated, Ganiyu was supposed to be granted bail that night, but he wasn’t released. We were told to return the next day by 10 a.m.
“He had been beaten mercilessly since the afternoon he was brought in, and he was bleeding before he eventually died.”
Temitope added that the case had been reported to the state police headquarters in Abeokuta and that both the families involved and the officers on duty had been summoned.
He further explained that the incident stemmed from suspicion raised by one of Ganiyu’s customers, who had earlier asked him to help buy fuel.
“He bought and delivered the fuel before returning home. Later, the customer was robbed and told the police that Ganiyu was the last person who visited.
“When they couldn’t reach him on the phone —because he said he had put it on silent to rest— the customer accused him of being part of the robbery.
“The customer insisted on taking him to the police station, and Ganiyu agreed. That was how he ended up in custody,” Temitope narrated.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Omolola Odutola, said the matter is under investigation.
