The Lagos State police command has said that operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba did not torture one Omolola Ejioye, aka Eji, to death on Sunday 9th May, 2021, as is being bandied on social media.
It said the suspect died from an underlying illness and not from the treatment he received from police while in custody.
A statement endorsed by the public relations officer of the command, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said a case of suspected murder was transferred from Ikorodu Division to the State CID, Panti, Yaba-Lagos on 4th May, 2021 for discreet investigation.
“One Rotimi Omolola, the deceased, was equally brought along with the case file and other suspects.
“On 7th May, 2021, at about 4am, the attention of the officers on duty at the State CID, Panti, was drawn to a strange behaviour of the suspect, Omolola, suggesting an underlying illness, and he was quickly rushed to Falomo Police Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos where he gave up the ghost while on admission,” Adejobi said.
He said the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy to ascertain the probable cause of death.
The command therefore urged the general public to disregard the “fake, unfounded and mischievous news which has been in circulation by certain individuals to distort the fact and escalate misinformation on the incident, for reasons best known to them.”
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has commiserated with the family of the deceased suspect, reiterating that the suspect was neither tortured nor maltreated by the police, at any point, despite his alleged involvement in the murder case under investigation.
He also reassured the general public that the police command, under his watch, will continually discharge its duties in line with the provisions of the law and kick against violation of human rights.