Three police officers in Kwara State have been detained for allegedly beating a student of Kwara State University, Suleiman Olayinka, to death.
The incident reportedly took place on Tuesday afternoon at Tanke Bridge in Ilorin, the state capital.
According to eyewitness accounts, the 27-year-old Olayinka had just arrived at a Point of Sale kiosk to collect N1,000, which he intended to use to pay the motorcycle rider who brought him.
A witness described the event, saying, “I was with him. As soon as he got the money, the officers came out of a tricycle and dragged him to the ground. The victim kept asking what offence he had committed, but they didn’t let him speak.”
The witness also mentioned that Olayinka repeatedly told the officers he was asthmatic and pleaded for them to stop, but his pleas were ignored.
The spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, DSP Ejire Adeyemi Toun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday. “The Kwara State police command is aware of this unfortunate incident which led to the sudden death of Suleiman Olayinka, 27,” she said.
Toun explained that a complaint had been filed against Olayinka for alleged cheating and criminal breach of trust, which prompted police detectives to investigate the case.
She confirmed, “The officers involved in the incident have been identified, arrested, and detained for further investigations as regards the death of the suspect.”
The police command has promised to provide further updates as the investigation progresses.
