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| Akinyemi, Ganiyu |
It has been 19 days since 21-year-old Akinyemi Ganiyu was allegedly tortured to death by an assistant superintendent of police, Salawu Kazeem, and four other people, but the dust raised by the death seems to be far from settling.
Ganiyu, who was due for graduation as an apprentice carpenter on December 30, 2015, was accused by the policeman’s neighbours of stealing three shirts from their house when he came to do some carpentry works for them.
It was also gathered that the family members who made the allegation were friends to the deceased’s foster parents who live on Victor Fagbemi Street, Aboru, Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos State.
Ganiyu’s body
Following reports that some police officials were making peace moves to persuade the bereaved family to forget about the matter, Saturday PUNCH had an interaction with Ganiyu’s father, Taiwo Akinyemi, during the week.
The man, who appears to be in his late 50s could not hide his distress as he relived some of the memorable moments he had with his child, but he said he would never negotiate with the police over his son’s death.
He said, “I heard some people are making moves so that the matter could be settled out of court, but the matter is now beyond me as it has become a public issue. But, even if they approach me, I can never negotiate with anybody over my son’s death. Not at all.”
He said he had yet to come to terms with the fact that his son was gone, noting that he had been working hard to raise the money needed for his graduation ceremony until he was told of his death.
He continued, “I’ve been distressed since it happened, I just try to console myself. This boy has always lived with me, but sometimes he went to Aboru to stay with Alhaji Fatai Ibrahim who is like his foster parent. He’s the only male child between his mother and myself. It is a kind of thing that one wouldn’t wish for anybody because it is traumatic.
“He was six years old when he started living with me and that was before his mother died. Since then, I’ve been taking care of him till he clocked 22. I don’t have anything apart from God but I believe the authorities would do what is right.
“They accused him of stealing three shirts where he went to work, but if that was the case, can anybody steal a shirt and wear the shirt to the same place one week after?
“So, they (a policeman and the three other persons) arrested him and killed him. I learnt he had always worked for the same people who killed him and that they even ate and drank together sometimes. When he saw one of their clothes that he could use, which they were no longer using, he told them and he took it. Later, the same people who gave him the shirts accused him of stealing.”
When Saturday PUNCH visited the house where the deceased lived on Victor Fagbemi Street before he was whisked away by the ASP and his collaborators, there was an uneasy calm in the premises.
Ibrahim told our correspondent that only God could forgive those who killed Ganiyu, who was also known as ‘Last Born.’
“They have killed him. They killed all his dreams and aspirations. We are sad because he was like a son to me,” Ibrahim said.
The Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Joe Offor, could not be reached as of press time as his phone number was switched off.
Meanwhile, a human rights group, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, has condemned the killing of the victim.
The group, in a statement by its Executive Chairman, Mr. Adeniyi Sulaiman, accused the police authorities of planning to sweep the matter under the carpet “because it involved an officer of the force.”
The group assured that it would ensure that justice was done in the matter, saying it would ensure that the top hierarchy of the force intervenes in the matter.
Kazeem, who is currently in the custody of the Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, Lagos, is attached to the State Police Command Headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
He was said to have tortured the deceased to death with the assistance of four others at a house in Omofioye Avenue, Aboru, Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos.
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