The Federal Capital Territory Police have denied claims that they tortured a detainee, Erasmus Emhenya, to death.

This comes after Erasmus’s mother alleged that her son was beaten and tortured while in police custody, leading to his death.

The grieving mother spoke on Brekete Family, a human rights advocacy TV and radio program, sharing her story.

In a viral video, she tearfully recounted how she was treated by the police at the station where her son was held.

She said she had gone to bring food for her son but was not allowed to see him. When she insisted, another suspect told her that her son had been beaten and had died.

“When I started to wail and throw myself on the ground, the DPO came out and asked the officers to throw this ‘Barger’ (The bereaved mother) out of the station,” she said. “Two officers held my hands and two held my legs and carried me out of the station and threw me on the ground outside and my phone got broken.”

She further explained that when she returned with her family, they were denied access to see her son’s body. Her younger son’s phone was also broken when he tried to record the incident.

“They kill am yesterday night and the DPO said make them through this bagger out.”

Heart broken mother narrates how Nigerian police kille*d her son in police custody 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZIAy0RtniI

— X-Daily (@X_Dailly) July 4, 2024

In response, the FCT Police Command issued a statement on Thursday, July 4, through SP Josephine Adeh, the Police Public Relations Officer. Adeh stated that Erasmus was not tortured to death and that thorough investigations, including an autopsy, confirmed this.

“We wish to clarify that the unfortunate death of Erasmus Emhenya was not due to torture, as alleged in certain quarters and on social media,” Adeh said. “Discrete investigations were undertaken to ascertain both the immediate and remote causes of Mr. Emhenya’s demise.”

Adeh invited concerned parties to visit the FCT Police Command headquarters for detailed information about the autopsy and investigation process, emphasizing the command’s commitment to transparency.

“We want to assure the public of our unwavering dedication to upholding the rule of law and safeguarding the fundamental rights of all individuals,” she reassured.

The police statement concluded by reiterating that the incident was diligently investigated and that the findings confirmed the deceased was not tortured to death.

The FCT Police Command has claimed that an autopsy revealed that Erasmus, died of “asphyxiation,”

“Autopsy revealed that he (Erasmus) died of asphyxiation, that means he choked from food,” Adeh said.

Adeh also said the deceased’s mother had disagreed with the findings and that Mr. Emhenya, who died in custody on April 6, 2023, did not sustain any injury.

“No body injuries, but the mother was not satisfied, so we were asked to transfer the case to the Force Headquarters,” she said. “But the family and the police brought their separate doctors to carry out this autopsy.”

According to her, the police arrested Mr. Emhenya for conspiring with his friend to abduct a lady, who later died after being tied up.

“Another part is that the deceased and his friend abducted and tied up a young lady, stable (sic) her to death, the reason why he was arrested in the first place. His friend is still at large, and the deceased freely confessed to the crime.”