A 30-year-old aluminium worker and student of a polytechnic in Kwara State, Al-Amin Mohammed, has died by suicide days after his release from police detention and the Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State, following a dispute over an alleged N8,000 debt.
Al-Amin, according to a report by Saturday PUNCH, was arrested after a disagreement involving an outstanding debt and the alleged damage of a mobile phone. His family said the incident began after he borrowed N23,000 from a Point-of-Sale operator, identified as Kazeem, and repaid N15,000, leaving N8,000 outstanding.
The family alleged that Kazeem’s apprentice subsequently seized Al-Amin’s mobile phone over the unpaid balance. They said a struggle occurred when Al-Amin returned to retrieve the device, after which he was allegedly detained overnight by a vigilante group before being handed over to the police at Sanyo Divisional Police Station.
According to his mother, Simiat Mohammed, the family attempted to resolve the matter amicably but Al-Amin was eventually taken to court and remanded at the Agodi Custodial Centre after he pleaded not guilty to the allegation.
The court reportedly granted him bail of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum. His parents eventually stood as sureties, securing his release on September 14, four days after he was remanded.
However, his mother said Al-Amin appeared deeply affected by the experience after returning home. She said he became withdrawn, stopped eating properly and repeatedly complained that his reputation had been damaged by the detention and prison remand.
Three days after his release, on September 17, the family said he ingested rat poison at his residence in Ibadan.
Before the incident, he reportedly recorded a voice note in which he expressed frustration and apologised to his mother, while asking his siblings to take care of her.
His family said they rushed him to several hospitals in an attempt to save his life, but after three hospitals reportedly declined to admit him, he was eventually taken to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where he was pronounced dead.
The family has called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his arrest, detention and prosecution.
A retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, Isiaka Ayole, who is a family friend, also called for an independent investigation, particularly into the circumstances surrounding the alleged vigilante detention and subsequent police action.
He questioned why the vigilante group allegedly involved in the initial detention was not also investigated, arguing that the dispute should have been handled without escalating into prolonged detention and court proceedings.
The deceased’s family alleged that police officers demanded N100,000 for bail and another N70,000 in connection with the damaged phone. The allegations could not be independently verified.
Reacting to the incident, Kazeem said he was shocked by Al-Amin’s death and denied intending to pursue the matter beyond recovering the money he was owed and resolving the issue concerning the damaged phone.
He gave a different account of the dispute, claiming that Al-Amin had collected N23,000 during a transaction and later paid N15,000, promising to settle the balance the following day.
Kazeem said the dispute escalated after an altercation involving his apprentice and Al-Amin, during which a business phone was allegedly damaged.
He maintained that he did not intend for the matter to become a prolonged legal dispute, saying the money he had spent on the case had exceeded the amount allegedly owed to him.
When contacted, the Oyo State Police Command spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said he was not aware of the incident. A subsequent message sent to him was reportedly unanswered as of the time the report was filed.
The Mohammed family is now appealing to the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, President Bola Tinubu and the Oyo State Government to investigate the circumstances surrounding Al-Amin’s arrest, detention and death.
