Police killed our son, labelled him robber – Parents

The parents of Seyi Fasere, who was allegedly killed in Oye Ekiti after simultaneous attacks by hoodlums on a branch of United Bank for Africa Plc and the police station in the town, have accused the police of being behind their son’s death.

They said the police murdered the 400-level student of Business Administration of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti at their station 24 hours after the robbery.

The father of the deceased, Mr. Joseph Fasere (65), and his mother, Florence, told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that both of them were locked up and tortured at the police station when they went there to claim the corpse of their son.

The grief-stricken mother said Seyi had gone to Ilupeju to collect his tuition to enable him write the second semester examination but ran into the robbery at Oye Ekiti.

She said 28-year-old Seyi had boarded a commercial bus to Ado Ekiti last Thursday (February 28), adding that the driver made a detour to a saw mill along the road when he learnt that the robbery was going on.

She said, “I was told the driver, an old woman and Seyi who were the occupants of the bus ran out into the bush.

“My son was later arrested by the policemen who combed the bush after the robbery and found Seyi where he was still hiding. They took him to the station, where the N100,000 tuition was found on him.

“I learnt that a notorious policeman at the station, known as “Akobi Esu” (Devil’s firstborn) pulled the trigger which terminated the life of Seyi who the whole family was looking up to.”

The grieving mother added that her son was tortured overnight and was killed on Friday morning, a day after the robbery.

She stated that one of the robbers who was shot during the incident had run into the bush and was later swept outside by flood the following day.

The woman said that the suspected robber who was swept outside by the flood was now receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Ido Ekiti. She explained that Seyi’s corpse was taken to the suspect for identification and the suspect said that Seyi was not part of the gang.

She said, “Seyi was a very hardworking boy. He was into palm kernel and cassava processing. We do the same business. He was going back to Ado to pay his fees when he ran into the robbery incident. He ran and hid in the bush but the police killed him to show that they were working.

“We saw his corpse at the police station, his hands were tied to the back and he had been tortured before he was killed. His corpse was first taken to the bush and they brought it out as if he was killed inside the bush. This is just a cover up. I want the government to help me because my son must not die in vain.

“The robber even said that Seyi was not a member of the gang. He said that there was no Yoruba among them. They know that we have nobody to fight for us and that is why they are treating us like criminals.”

The second passenger in the bus, 72-year-old Victoria Adewuyi, said Seyi and heself ran into the bush to avoid the robbers.

The woman said, “I boarded the bus at Ilupeju and Seyi joined the bus at Eshinku. He was going to Ado. Later the bus ran into a robbery scene. The driver sped to a sawmill and we all ran away from the bus into the bush. I later came out of the bush because I realised that if I was killed in the bush my children might never know. I am very sure that Seyi was not part of the robbers.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, denied that the deceased was killed at the police station.

He said Seyi might have been caught in the exchange of gunfire.

The PPRO said, “There was a simultaneous attack on the bank and a police station. The hoodlums came with dynamites and guns and attacked the bank and the station at the same time.

They used a rock in front of the police station as a cover during the operation but our men were able to repel them after exchange of gunfire.

“Our men went to the rock after the hoodlums had fled and recovered some dynamites. Bloodstain was seen there and the bloodstain was traced into the bush where the corpse of Seyi was recovered.

“One of the robbers who was shot and arrested said he could not identify Seyi because their gang leader recruited them separately and he (Seyi) was not among the team that attacked the station.

“He (suspected robber) said that he was part of the team that attacked the bank and not those who attacked the police station. But we are still investigating the incident.”

PUNCH