How soldiers tortured my husband to death over N1.5m ―Wife

AMID uncontrollable tears, wife of one slain Ajayi Oladele, Esther has accused soldiers of the 4 Mechanised Brigade, Benin-City, Edo State of torturing her husband to death in Warri, Delta State, over an alleged N1.5m owed one Mr Kayode Adeosho.

Counsel to the bereaved family, Mr Kunle Edun, disclosed to journalists in Warri on Saturday that Oladele, 43 and father-of-three-children, was allegedly tortured to death by soldiers while in their custody from Warri to Benin.

Edun said the deceased was arrested on May 8, 2017 in Warri by the soldiers, hired by Mr Adeosho, for allegedly borrowing N1.5 million from him in January 2017 and refusing to pay back.

The counsel said before his death, Oladele had denied ever borrowing such money from Adeosho.

Narrating how the deceased was cleverly killed Edun said “on the above said date, Oladele was arrested by the soldiers.

On their way to Benin-City, he pleaded with the soldiers to release him because he had a delicate health condition that needed the constant use of his special drugs.

The soldiers refused and instead, started beating him inside their vehicle.

The soldiers claimed they acted under the instruction of the Commanding Officer of the 4 Mechanised Brigade, Benin.

Upon arriving Benin-City, Oladele’s health had worsened and the Commanding Officer of the Military Intelligence in the Brigade said he would not be released until he paid the N1.5 million.

The counsel explained further that when the health situation worsened, Oladele was taken to the Military Hospital in Benin where his legs were chained to the sick bed even while in pains from several beatings.

When the authorities of the Military Hospital could no longer cope with the deteriorating health condition of Oladele, they, on May 10, 2017, directed that he should be taken to his personal doctor for attention.

At this juncture, Counsel Edun stated that one Sgt Hassan Hassan, a military officer at the Military Intelligence of the 4 Mechanised Brigade, Benin-City, called Oladele’s family members to rush down to Benin to effect his bail.

“On May 12, 2017, our client and one Mr Oladele accompanied by their Solicitor decided to go to Benin-City where the Commanding Officer (CO), T. A. Yakubu reeled out the story to them again.

“Yakubu confirmed to them that the medical doctors at the Military hospital advised that Oladele should be taken out of the hospital for his personal doctors to attend to him,” he added.

According to Edun, a referral letter from the Military Hospital, Airport Road Benin-City signed by Dr Eghaoje C and addressed to Consultant Physician, Central Hospital, Warri, said Oladele had multi-level traumatic spinal cord injuries due to alleged torture.

When the deceased was conveyed down to Warri, he was allegedly forced to waste two more hours in his residence at Effurun before he was eventually rushed to Ekpan General Hospital against the doctor’s advice.

At the Ekpan General Hospital, Oladele was rejected and was thereafter taken to Central Hospital, Warri, where he died 15 minutes later on Friday, May 12, Counsel Edun narrated.

Family members of the deceased, led by the deceased’s wife, Esther, are thereby calling for justice and thorough investigations from relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), 4 Mechanised Brigade, Benin-City, Capt Maidawa Maidawa would not answer calls put across to his phone for comment neither would be he reply to text messages sent to his mobile handle.

When contacted, however, Sgt Hassan, was evasive, directing journalists should go to Benin for enquiries.

“You know the 4 Brigade in Benin-City, go there and make enquiries.

The woman knows the place; let her take you there.

“This is an operational office line you are calling, any moment from now, someone else is going to take over the phone,” he retorted.

Tribune Online reports that extrajudicial killings among security agencies in Delta State in the last few months is on the increase.

Just the same Friday, May 12, two promising youths were felled by a rampaging naval rating at Ifiekporo in Warri South during a hitherto peaceful protest by aggrieved youths from the Itsekiri enclave of job placement at the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) complex.