The family of Mr Jimoh Abdulquadri are demanding justice after accusing the Nigerian Police of covering up the death of their son, who died in a Kwara State Police Command cell over a debt of N220,000.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, the grieving father, Alhaji Jimoh Alabi, criticised the police for failing to hold officers to account for his son’s death. He alleged that authorities were intentionally delaying accountability due to the family’s financial constraints.
Alhaji Jimoh, who described his son as the family’s breadwinner and primary caregiver, questioned whether the situation would have been handled differently if the deceased had been the child of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, or a prominent politician.
The father revealed disturbing details about the police’s actions following his son’s death. The family were not informed when their son’s body was taken to the mortuary and were pressured to collect it immediately for burial, an attempt, he believes, to cover up the truth.
Despite this, the family are calling on the Nigerian government to seek justice for their loss.
Alhaji Jimoh stated that his son was arrested for a debt of N220,000 and detained despite the family’s attempts to settle the matter. He alleged that his son was beaten to death by police officers and that the police attempted to cover up the incident by cleaning the cell and pressuring the family for a hasty burial.
The family conducted a post-mortem examination but alleges that the police are delaying the results to manipulate the findings.
Alhaji Jimoh claimed that the IGP advised him to accept his son’s death as an act of God, a response he believes would differ if the victim were a more influential individual.
The mother of the deceased, Alhaja Adija Jimoh, also lamented the lack of action by the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, regarding her son’s death.
At least three people have been killed by Nigerian Police operatives in Ilorin within the past three months under the leadership of Commissioner of Police (CP) Victor Olaiya.
Civil society groups like Voice of Citizens Concerned (VCC) have called for transparency and justice, urging CP Olaiya to disclose the names of the officers involved and ensure their prosecution.
