A cleric, Pastor Gabriel Atansuyi, has alleged that the Nigeria Police are trying to cover up the death of his gospel artist son, Ifedolapo.
Atansuyi had in a statement on March 8, 2017, accused the police of killing his son while in custody, and attempting to pass it off as suicide.
Narrating the circumstances leading to the young artist death, the cleric said that a woman named Tessy had accused him [Ifedolapo] of selling her iPhone without her consent. She reported the incident to her boyfriend, one Wale, who brought ‘his boys’ to beat and torture him before he was handed over to Police officers at the Jankara Police Post, Oko Awo where he died.
In a post on his Facebook Page, the cleric said the Office of Public Defender has taken over the matter, adding that he was offered a car to agree that Ifedolapo committed suicide.
He wrote, “On 9th March 2017 Thursday I was asked by my Human Rights activist that, we are at the point of negotiation, that do I want okada or car.
“On Monday 13th March 2017, the I.P.O. asked me that what do I need after we had argued for almost 30 or 40 minutes trying to convince me that it’s not the Police that killed my son while the D.P.O Adeniji Adele Mr Ayodele was recording with his phone but yet I insisted that it was Police that killed my Son. But they insisted that I [should agree that it was not] the Police that killed my son, I kept shut.”
Atansuyi said the police did not arrest or detain anyone involved in the circumstances that led to his son’s death.
He said, “I noticed their collaboration together against me because Police were involved. Assuming the Police were not involved in the matter, the perpetrators would have been detained.
“I went with a lawyer on Monday 20th March 2017, then the story changed, they asked the others to go and asked only me to wait behind because their Oga wanted to see only me, but I had to leave quickly to avoid them, that they can do anything.
“I went to the mortuary yesterday, Tuesday 21 March, 2017 by 5:00 pm to collect the death certificate so I could bury my son, I was there, they said the person in charge is not around that I should come tomorrow which is today Wednesday 22 March, 2017.
“I got there in the morning, I was asked to produce my ID card, I quickly rushed down to a business centre to do the ID.
“On getting there I went with a lawyer from O.P.D office Surulere, who requested the result of the autopsy but she was not given, and I was asked to get my International Passport or driving license or voters card or National ID card.
“Then I asked is that all they needed, they said including original receipt of the body, I said I didn’t have any receipt, they said it is with the Police, unless I go and get it from the Police officer, that they won’t be able to give me the body of my son.
See Pastor Atansuyi Facebook recent post below:
