A
chief of the People’s Democratic Party in the Ondo West Local
Government Area, Ondo State, Dr. Olu Ogunye, and one of his employees,
Dr. Akinlolu Akinniran, have been interrogated by the police for
allegedly detaining and torturing a 23-year-old man, Seto Ogunye.
Olu, a medical practitioner and one-time
Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Center, Ido Ekiti, Ekiti
State, and his alleged accomplice, were said to have committed the
offence in his clinic at Surulere Street in Ondo town.
It was gathered that Seto, who is a
nephew of Olu, had gone to a relaxation centre with Akinniran, but were
involved in an accident on their return, with the latter sustaining
injuries.
Akinniran was said to have requested
that he be taken to the hospital for treatment and left Seto in the car
at the scene of the accident.
It was learnt that Akinniran, on
reaching the hospital, sent for N65,000 he allegedly left in the car,
but the money was not found.
Suspecting that Seto could have stolen
the money, the ailing doctor asked that the young man be questioned,
after which he admitted that he found only N8,000, in the car.
Seto later told the police that he was
beaten, detained at the hospital and tortured for four days. He said
four persons, who took him from his house, claimed they were sent by
Olu, adding that they tortured him without food and water during the
period. He was later rescued by policemen from the Yaba Police Division.
Ondo-based human rights activist, who is
also the President of Defence for Yoruba Peoples Right, Chief Muyideen
Olamoyegun, described the incident as unfortunate, saying he alerted the
police as soon as he received the information.
However, 73-year-old Olu told our
correspondent that he was neither involved in torturing nor ordered any
person to beat up Seto.
He said, “He is literally my son, but
sadly he is a miscreant. I have served as his father since his father
died, but he has been involved in cult activities in the town.
“The doctor who works with me was involved in an accident and unconscious, he removed the money from him and ran away.
“When he was caught and questioned, he
confessed that he took only N8,000. The money does not belong to me and I
could not have been the one to torture him. I was the one who asked
that the beating should stop because he is my son.
“But we insisted that he would not be
allowed to go until he paid back what he stole and that is why he was
held in my house, which is also his house.”
The doctor added that Seto had agreed to
sell a piece of land to pay back only to return with a group of
policemen that he had been abducted and tortured.
The Police Public Relations Officer,
Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the doctor had been
released on self recognition. He added that he had also been cautioned
as he had no right to restrict Seto’s freedom of movement.
He said, “The Ogunye family had chosen
to treat the matter as a family issue, since Dr. Ogunye had been
responsible for the care of the young man since his father died some
years ago. Even the boy’s mother came and was pleading that the matter
be treated lightly since Dr. Ogunye has been their supporter over the
years. But she demanded that the boy should be taken to the hospital for
treatment.”
PUNCH
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