When Al-Amin Mohammed returned home from Agodi Custodial Centre, Ibadan, on September 14, his family believed the ordeal was over.
The 30-year-old aluminium fixer and polytechnic student had spent days in detention and prison custody over a dispute involving an alleged N8,000 debt. His parents later stood as sureties for his bail.
But his mother, Simiat Mohammed, said he came home a changed man. He barely ate, withdrew from others and repeatedly complained about the humiliation of being detained and jailed over an allegation he denied.
“He kept saying that they wanted to tarnish his image because he came from a poor family and that he was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit,” she told Saturday PUNCH.
Three days later, on September 17, Al-Amin ingested rat poison at his Ibadan residence. Before this, his family said he recorded a voice note for his mother.
“He said the frustration was too much and asked his siblings to take care of me. He mentioned my name and apologised, telling me not to be angry with him,” Simiat recalled.
His family rushed him to several hospitals. His father, Habeeb, said three hospitals rejected him before they reached University College Hospital, Ibadan.
“We were asked to make some payments before he could be attended to. After we paid, the doctor came and told us that he was dead,” he said.
The family said the crisis started after Al-Amin borrowed N23,000 from a POS operator, Kazeem, and repaid N15,000, leaving N8,000.
Kazeem allegedly seized his phone over the balance. Al-Amin later returned for it, leading to a struggle. His family said he was subsequently detained overnight by a vigilante before being handed to police at Sanyo Divisional Police Station on September 9.
Simiat alleged that police demanded N100,000 for bail and N70,000 over the damaged phone. She also accused an IPO identified as Adekeye of threatening to jail her son.
“When Kazeem came to the station, I pleaded with him that we should settle the matter. I also pleaded with the DCO, but he later sent me out of his office.
“The IPO, Adekeye, also said she would ensure that my son was jailed. There was even a police officer pleading on our behalf,” she alleged.
Habeeb similarly alleged that the DCO favoured the complainant because they were friends.
Saturday PUNCH said it could not independently verify the allegations.
On September 10, Al-Amin was taken to court in Mapo, Ibadan, without his family being informed beforehand. A lawyer, Boluwatife, offered to represent him for free. The court granted him bail of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum, but he remained at Agodi Custodial Centre until his parents perfected the bail on September 14.
His mother said he stopped eating and became withdrawn, constantly thinking about the police station and prison.
His elder sister, Adenike, described him as hardworking and a key family provider.
“He was a hardworking boy. He was working as an aluminium fixer and also going to school. He was the pillar of this family and was taking care of our mother,” she said.
“We have lost the shining light of our family,” Adenike added.
Retired Deputy Superintendent of Police Isiaka Ayole called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest, detention and prosecution.
“This was a simple matter that the police should have helped settle amicably instead of escalating it,” Ayole said.
“I don’t understand the type of policing where somebody is first detained overnight by a vigilante and then handed over to a police officer who is said to be a friend of the complainant’s father.
“The irony is that nothing was said about the person who took the law into his hands. Instead, the person owing N8,000 was taken to court.”
Ayole urged Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu to investigate the officers involved and determine whether there was any abuse of power.
The family has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the IG and the Oyo State Government to investigate Al-Amin’s death and the handling of the dispute.
“Let them investigate what happened to my son. We don’t have anybody except God,” Simiat said.
“We do not want him to die in vain.”
Kazeem, however, said he was shocked by Al-Amin’s death and never intended to pursue the matter beyond recovering his money.
He said Al-Amin had carried out a N23,000 transaction through his apprentice, collected the money and left his phone, promising to transfer the funds after charging it. According to Kazeem, Al-Amin later paid N15,000 but failed to clear the balance.
Kazeem said an altercation later occurred when Al-Amin returned for the phone, during which an Airtel-branded business phone fell and its screen was damaged.
He said the landlord association and later a vigilante group tried to resolve the matter before it was taken to Sanyo Police Station.
“When we got to the station, the only thing I told the police was that I wanted Al-Amin to take responsibility for the damaged phone and how he was going to repair it. But Al-Amin denied responsibility for the damage, saying he was not responsible for the damaged phone.”
He said police detained Al-Amin, took him to court and the magistrate ordered his remand until October 10.
Kazeem said he later learnt Al-Amin had secured bail and insisted he never wanted the matter to reach court.
“In fact, I was discussing with my lawyer that the money used for his bail, had they agreed at the station, this matter would not have got to court. The money I have spent on the case is more than the amount owed,” Kazeem said.
The Oyo State Police Command spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said he was unaware of the incident. A WhatsApp message sent to him later had not received a response when this report was filed.
