Barber dies a day after release from police detention in Lagos

A barber from Lagos, Babajide Adelowo, has died just one day after being released from police custody. He spent 28 days in detention over claims of having firearms.

PUNCH Metro learned that the X-Squad of the Lagos State Police Command arrested Adelowo at his shop in Iba Estate, Iyana-Iba area, on October 6. He was released on Tuesday, November 3.

His family claims the police tortured him while he was in detention. They say he was hung from a weightlifting rod with his hands and legs bound, leaving him unable to walk or eat on his own.

The family also says that the police arrested him without a warrant, took items from his shop and limited his contact with family and lawyers during his time in custody.

Samson Adelowo, the deceased’s uncle, shared details about the arrest with PUNCH Metro on Saturday. He said, "They came to arrest my brother on the grounds that he owned firearms. They searched the shop, broke the ceiling and opened the water tank, but they could not find anything."

Samson added, "What I found disturbing was that they also took his generator, chairs and other materials from the shop. What was the connection between the allegation against him and the items they removed from his shop?"

He said, "They seized his phone and did not allow him to contact anybody in his family. We had to engage lawyers to follow up on the matter. But throughout the 28 days he spent there, the lawyers were only allowed to see him about two or three times, with restricted access at other times."

Samson also claimed that his nephew’s wife was threatened with arrest when she tried to visit him. He said the estate chairman, who went with the lawyers to meet the police, was held and had to pay N50,000 for his release.

He explained, "The estate chairman went with the lawyers to meet the team leader. He said Babajide was known in the community as a peaceful person and that he was one of the estate’s security officers. But instead of listening to him, the officer allegedly threatened to detain him. The chairman eventually paid N50,000 before he was allowed to go."

While in custody, Adelowo’s health worsened before he was finally released to his family. His wife, Mariam, told our correspondent that her husband could hardly walk and looked very weak when the police brought him to the roadside.

She said, "When we saw him, he could not even walk properly. He was so pale and fragile. The police officers helped him into our car and told us to take him straight to the hospital."

Mariam described how the police handed them a referral note from the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, along with a bag of medical supplies. She said, "They said the ailment was already in his body, but my husband sharply objected and said he had never had the symptoms."

As they took him to the hospital, he began sharing his experience in detention. She said, "He told me that they would tie his hands and legs to a weightlifting rod and hang him for about 30 or 40 minutes. He said they did that three times. He also said they squeezed his hands until his muscles and veins were affected."

Mariam added that he became so weak he could not eat or take care of himself. Other detainees helped him with basic needs. He fainted four times in detention, with the last incident happening just before he was taken to the hospital.

She said, "He woke up covered in blood and faeces, while his clothes were soaked in blood. The other people in the cell were shouting for help before he was taken to the hospital by the police."

After his release, the family took him to the hospital, where he received a blood transfusion. His condition got worse as he began vomiting blood and struggled to breathe.

Samson said the family was informed that Adelowo needed six pints of blood, but they could only manage to get one pint before his state deteriorated.

Mariam said a fellow detainee had pointed him out to the police as someone who kept firearms. She added that the detainee later apologized to her husband in custody, saying he had been pressured to identify him.

Mariam described her late husband as a caring man who provided for their family. She shared how the four weeks he spent in detention placed a heavy burden on her as she had to handle everything alone.

She said, "My husband was a very responsible man. He took care of his family 100 percent. When he was detained, I had to start doing things I had never done before. My son kept asking me, ‘When is Daddy coming back?’ I kept assuring him that his father would return. Unfortunately, he did not see his father again until the day after he died, when he saw his corpse. It has not been easy for us."

Mariam is now demanding justice. She said the police have not reached out to her or the family’s lawyer since her husband's release to check on his condition.

She stated, "I want justice for my husband. They released someone who was almost dying, yet they did not call to ask about his health. They did not contact even the lawyer or me to find out how he was doing."

A medical report from the hospital, dated November 5, said Adelowo was admitted on November 3 with serious complaints including bleeding, vomiting blood, abdominal pain, weakness and anaemia. The report described him as acutely ill and dehydrated, with tenderness around his stomach.

The hospital found he had severe anaemia caused by bleeding, leading to shock. He was given a pint of blood without complications but began convulsing and vomiting shortly after, leading to emergency treatment.

Tragically, he was later pronounced dead, and his family was informed with empathy. The Lagos State Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Adekunle Taofeek, has called for an independent investigation into the arrest, detention, alleged torture and death of Adelowo.

The group demands that officers involved in the alleged abuses be identified and prosecuted. They also want an independent autopsy to find out the cause of death and check if torture or lack of medical care played a part. They are seeking protection for the deceased’s family and witnesses from intimidation and want justice for the family.

The group emphasized that no crime justifies torture or mistreatment, insisting that suspects should be treated fairly under the law. They noted that Adelowo left behind a wife, young child and aging parents who deserve answers about his death.

When contacted, the police spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, stated that the deceased was not tortured. "An official statement will be issued on that tomorrow," she added.