The Nigerian Police Force has refuted claims that Erasmus, a suspected cultist, was tortured to death while in their custody.
Force spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi on his X handle clarified that the matter was an old one that had been investigated and decided.
The clarification followed a widely shared video featuring a woman claiming that her son, Erasmus, was beaten to death by police officers while in custody.
In the video, the woman who is said to be the mother of Erasmus said, “I bring food for Erasmus. I say wisdom wake Erasmus for me, I bring food for una. The boy wey kill person, na the boy voice. He sale maale dey beat Erase yesterday night e die.”
According to Adejobi, “My attention has been drawn to this video. The matter is an old one and it has been decided. The FCT command handled the case. The autopsy report cleared the air on this.”
“The boy, who was a cultist and arrested for alleged raping and killing of a young lady in the company of his friend, was never tortured by the police. The Force Headquarters was involved in the investigation then.”
According to Adejobi, the autopsy report revealed that Erasmus died from asphyxiation, not torture.
“Erasmus was a cultist who had been fingered in many crises and alleged killings of some innocent Nigerians in the area. He died of asphyxiation, according to the autopsy. Not torture, please.
“The autopsy was done in the presence of the doctor(s) of the deceased family. It’s unfortunate he died because the police even needed him to unravel some issues and pending cases in the area.
“May his soul rest in peace, while we urge Nigerians to always objective perception, understanding of cases, and view issues objectively before running down the police. We didn’t kill Erasmus.”
He emphasized that the police did not torture Erasmus, who was arrested for alleged rape and murder, and that the autopsy was conducted in the presence of the deceased’s family doctor.
The police urged Nigerians to be objective and not rush to judgment, stating that they did not kill Erasmus.
