The mother of a 22-year-old undergraduate of the University of Ibadan, Samson Ajayi, has been hospitalised over the disappearance of her son who disappeared on his way to work at a construction site in an estate in the Ajah area of Lagos State.
The PUNCH reported that the family petitioned the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, for the sluggish investigation of his disappearance.
Due to the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities strike, the first-class student succumbed to manual labour at the construction site.
On the day he went missing, a co-worker at the site informed his mother that he was not seen at work.
The family following the information reported the case of a missing person at the Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, on March 10, 2022.
The Homicide Section of the Negombo Police Station Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba took over the matter after it was transferred to them.
However, the family, in their petition to the state police commissioner, lamented the slow pace of the investigation.
In the petition, signed by the Femi Falana Chambers, the family accused the SCID of releasing the prime suspects.
The petition read in part, “The police brought a decomposed body of an older person which they claimed in concurrence with the suspects arrested that it was Samson’s body. Our client and others who know Samson equivocally stated that the said body was not him. Despite this, the police went ahead to carry out a DNA on the instigation of the suspects, which came out negative.
“Since this investigation commenced, there has not been any indication of getting close to unravelling the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of this young promising boy. Our client believes that the DNA carried out on the body on about two occasions is a calculated attempt to prolong the matter, distract and mislead the police till the investigation dies a natural death. Over four months have been spent on waiting for DNA.”
The petition further stated that the owner of the estate had yet to be invited by the police for questioning, while other suspects, including the site engineer and three security guards initially arrested, had also been released.
The victim’s brother, Samuel Ajayi, told PUNCH Metro that their mother had been hospitalised over the matter.
He said, “It has really affected the whole family. It has been four months now. We want to see Samson. Our mother has been hospitalised. She is not herself again.”
Samuel said the family was afraid Samson was kidnapped for ritual.
Reacting, the construction site engineer, Abolade Adekunle, said, “The police are aware. You can meet them to get proper details of everything.”
The family’s lawyer, Taiwo Olawanle, of the Femi Falana Chambers, said he suspected compromise by the police.
“We cannot have a murder case and the prime suspects will be released just like that. These workers were working with him when he went missing. We urge the police commissioner to set up an unbiased team of investigators to unravel the cause of his disappearance,” he added.
