How I knew police tortured my younger brother to death – Lagos estate agent

A Lagos-based estate agent, Mr Qamar Oduga, tells BIODUN BUSARI how his younger brother, Abdulmojeed, died in police custody in Ikota, Lagos State, after his neighbour, Stasia Nora, allegedly reported him over a rift

What happened between your late brother and his neighbour before the police arrest him?

It happened on Tuesday, 11th February 2025. My brother, Abdulmojeed, was arrested by the police at Ikota Police Post. He was arrested after his neighbour, a certain Ms Stasia Nora, reported him. The neighbour accused my brother of drawing her hand while he and her boyfriend were walking on a staircase. She said the nails she fixed fell off in the process.

How did you know of his death in police custody?

Nobody informed the family about his arrest. We learnt of his death on Wednesday, which was the day after his arrest. On that Tuesday, as usual, his wife was expecting his call, but he didn’t call. When she didn’t receive the call, she decided to call him, but unfortunately, his number was ringing, yet there was no response from the other end. His wife, who was heavily pregnant, became worried.

Where was his wife when the police came to arrest him?

She was not on the Island when the incident happened at Ajah. My brother’s wife was with my mum, receiving antenatal care at a hospital in Ikorodu. She kept calling her husband that Tuesday night, but no one picked up the call. The same thing happened on Wednesday morning, 12th February 2025.

At this point, she was worried and called their estate manager, Mr Jacob. The man said he had been trying to reach her too. It was Mr Jacob who informed my brother’s wife that her husband had been arrested by the police. When my sister-in-law asked for the cause of his arrest, the estate manager said it was because his neighbour, Ms Nora, accused him of drawing her hand on the staircase.

That was when Abdulmojeed’s wife informed the family. My elder sister, my brother (the youngest son of the family), and my sister-in-law gathered and went to the Ikota Police Post to see our brother. The plan was to go there and possibly see him and bail him out.

What happened when you got to the police station?

On getting to the police station, my elder sister asked for Abdulmojeed Oduga, but they said there was nobody by that name in their custody. However, the estate manager insisted that my brother was being held there. My family started raising the alarm that they would not leave the police station until the officers produced my brother.

Did the police eventually tell your family that your brother was dead?

They didn’t tell us immediately. They claimed that he had been transferred to Ajah Police Station. We had to move to Ajah Police Station. When we got there, they started denying that they had my brother in their custody. It was only when my sister and brother started raising their voices that the officer in charge of the post, Alhaja Modinat Alaka, came out. She was the one overseeing the operation of the Investigating Police Officer, Mrs Azeezat, who had arrested my brother.

So, it was Mrs Alaka who addressed my family. She started saying that we should take heart. My family members were shocked and asked what she meant by “take heart.” Meanwhile, Mrs Alaka was well-known to our family. It was my family that supported her to go to the police academy.

We lived together in Isale-Eko, Lagos Island. She begged my family to remain calm. My sister had sensed that tragic news was about to be broken and led my sister-in-law outside. They moved her away from the police station and drove her back to Ikorodu.

They didn’t want her to know about the situation due to her condition. I received a call after the police told my family that my younger brother had died in detention. They had to call me to come to the police station as the first son of the family.

What did the police do after disclosing your brother’s death?

The Lagos State Deputy Commissioner of Police summoned us to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba. There, she called for the arrest of Ms Nora’s younger brother. When he knew of his brother’s arrest, he showed up with his lawyer at the SCID. The Deputy Commissioner of Police said the incident between my brother and his neighbour did not warrant his detention.

We let the police know that our brother could not have drawn Ms Nora’s hand to the extent that her fixed nails fell off. We told the Deputy Commissioner that it was a flimsy accusation. At the SCID, the IPO was also accusing my brother of drunkenness. She claimed he was drunk. That was another narrative she was spreading to the Deputy Commissioner. However, the IPO has since been detained.

Did your brother’s neighbour call her boyfriend to the police station as a witness?

No, she did not bring her boyfriend.

Have the police invited her boyfriend?

They have not invited her boyfriend yet (as of Wednesday, 19th February 2025).

Did they show you your brother’s dead body?

Yes. After much argument, they said his body had been deposited at Epe mortuary. On Thursday, 13th February 2025, the officer at the SCID, Ibrahim Yusuf, told us to go to the mortuary to confirm the body. We went there the following day, Friday. When we got there, they rolled his body outside.

The IPO asked if the corpse was my brother’s, and I said, “Yes.” He then asked if I realised that there were no marks on his body. I told him to hold on; I wanted to examine the body thoroughly.

I said I wouldn’t confirm anything until I had fully examined the corpse. During the examination, we noticed there was a wound on his knee, another on his waist, and also on his hand. These were fresh wounds. Additionally, I saw blood at the back of his head.

What happened after discovering these wounds?

I asked the officer how the corpse had these wounds. I recorded a video and took photos of our observations.

What is the situation with the IPO who arrested your brother?

The IPO is currently at Yaba Police Station. My younger brother’s neighbour has also been detained.

Had there been an issue between your brother and his neighbour before this incident?

Yes, there was an issue between them about four months ago. Ms Nora had taken her hanger downstairs to dry her clothes on my brother’s corridor. He had to tell her that she could not do that because it inconvenienced him, as she had left her apartment upstairs.

She picked a fight with him over this. According to my brother, Ms Nora claimed the corridor belonged to everyone and she would not move the hanger. My brother removed the hanger from his corridor and placed it in the compound. That was when she locked my brother’s shirt on that particular day.

This led to the initial misunderstanding. After the incident, Ms Nora invited her two younger brothers to beat up my brother. My brother also informed his two friends about the issue, and they beat up Ms Nora’s younger brother in retaliation.

She still went to the police station to report my brother. The police arrested him and forced him to pay for the treatment of the two young men. They also collected money for bail. The total amount they collected from him was N400,000.

Have you engaged a lawyer since you mentioned that your brother’s neighbour came with a lawyer?

A human rights lawyer heard about our ordeal and came. He said he would take up the case. We said we would be happy if he handled the case with honesty and ensured justice for my late brother. However, when we were at the SCID, we didn’t see him.

How about your late brother’s wife?

I’m deeply sad and devastated as I speak to you because it has been a double tragedy for the family. My brother’s wife gave birth yesterday morning (Tuesday, 18th February 2025). We were rejoicing that it was a replacement for my brother, who was late, but just a few minutes later, we lost the baby. The baby died overnight this morning.

Till this moment (19th February 2025), my brother’s wife is still unaware of her husband’s death because we don’t know how to tell her. Now, nobody knows how to tell her about the loss of her baby. We have put her on bed rest at the General Hospital in Ikorodu. We technically took her phone away, as she needs proper rest. We didn’t want her to get stressed out or overwhelmed.

When will the autopsy be conducted on your late brother’s body?

The autopsy would be done tomorrow (Friday, February 21). The police, both wife and husband’s families supported the autopsy.