One
of the two fraudsters who were arrested for cloning the phone number of
the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and demanded a transfer of
N50 million, has reportedly died of torture in DSS custody.
The two fraudsters after they were arrested
Saheed Damilare Eyitayo, whose friend was arrested for ‘cloning’
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s phone number, has allegedly
died in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
His family is alleging foul play in his death, asking the DSS to
explain how it happened, and they are refusing to collect the body for
burial from the DSS until the circumstances of his death are clear.
The late Eyitayo, 39, was arrested at midnight on April 4
by DSS operatives, who were on the trail of a syndicate that had
allegedly cloned Governor Ambode’s mobile number. He was taken to the
DSS office at Shangisha, where he is said to have died during
interrogation.
It was learnt that the DSS operatives were acting on information
that Rilwanu Jamiu, a member of the syndicate, might have been hiding in
the late Eyitayo’s residence at 37, Aje Street, in Iyana Ipaja.
DSS operatives are reported to have broken into the late Eyitayo’s
apartment while he was asleep, beating him up and chaining his hands and
legs. Eyewitnesses told SaharaReporters that he was grilled for minutes
by the officials, who wanted to know Jamiu’s whereabouts.
A resident, who pleaded not to be named, said: “I overheard
Eyitayo telling the DSS people that the person they were looking for did
not stay with him. He told them the suspect was his friend and only
visited him the previous day. But, his explanation did not convince
them. They beat him mercilessly till blood came out of his face. We
could not recognise him again.”
It was gathered that the DSS operatives moved to other apartments
in the building, beating occupants and searching their rooms for the
suspect. After three hours, they whisked Eyitayo away to their Shangisha
office. Jamiu, it was learnt, was arrested that day in Alakuko.
The late Eyitayo’s friends, who had been going to the DSS office
for his bail, were kept in the dark about his death. On April 6, two
days after his death, the DSS Director invited his landlord, Pa Taiwo
Sobiye, to help the agency look for his family members.
“When I got there, the Director called me to his office and told me Eyitayo died during interrogation,” Pa Sobiye recalled. “He
said they tried to stabilise him medically but he eventually died. The
Director asked me to help find his family members, but I told him I did
not know anybody with him.
“The DSS copied out five numbers from the late Eyitayo’s phone
and gave me to call. I could not reach any of them except one man, who
had been coming to the house as his brother. I could not tell him his
brother is dead. Some 19 days after, we eventually met with the family
members. We all went to the DSS office together and they heard the news
from the DSS themselves. We were told the body had been taken to the
mortuary.”
The bereaved family is accusing the DSS of torturing its son to
death. The late Eyitayo’s neighbour, who was allegedly maltreated by the
DSS operatives, affirmed the victim was chained before being taken
away.
On Tuesday, the family asked the government to fish out the DSS
operatives whom they believe tortured the deceased to death. They
wondered why the late Eyitayo would be chained and tortured when he did
not know anything about the crime. They rejected DSS’ offer to release
the body to them for burial, demanding an investigation on the
circumstance surrounding his death.
The family head, Mr. Joseph Oluokun, who spoke to a reporter, said:
“We have been told how Damilare was chained and tortured for hours
before he was taken into custody. The DSS told us that he fell as he
attempted to escape. How is it possible for somebody whose hands and
legs were chained to attempt to run? We are yet to be told the truth
about the death of our son. This is why the government must help us to
get justice.”
Jamiu and Balogun Stanley Oyewoye, were last Wednesday arraigned by
an Isolo Magistrates’ Court for allegedly cloning Ambode’s number.
The family, through their lawyer, has requested a coroner inquest
to be set up to ascertain the cause and manner of the victim’s death.
Source: SaharaReporters
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