A 20-year-old fashion designer, Taiwo Ayomide, who was allegedly battered with the butt of the gun by police officer over N50 bribe has died.
It was learnt that the deceased died in the early hours of today at the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, where he was receiving treatment.
He has been at the emergency unit battling for his life since the attacks on him by the police officer who was said to have mounted road block in the area.
The sad news was made known by one of his relatives identified as Segun through a telephone conversation with our correspondent.
It would be recalled that the incident happened last week when the deceased and his brother, Oladimeji Wasiu, were coming back from Sallah celebration before he met his untimely death.
The incident which occurred on Wednesday about 3.30pm around Ilahun village along Ibokun road, while they were riding on a motorcycle from his town Iragbiji area of Osun state when a police officer on check point stopped them.
While narrating what transpired between them and the police officers, Wasiu who was riding the bike with the deceased said that they met the police officers at a checking point along Odo Osun by (Osun River), Ilahun village, Ibokun road Obokun Local Government Area of the state.
He added that one of the officers ordered that "we should stop immediately and we complied. The next step the officer did was to hit the deceased with the butt of his gun. I was surprised the way he used the gun butt to hit him beacuse he didn't provoke them."
The deceased brother who could not hold his tears said "my brother met his untimely death beacuse of N50. We left our village happily after we had a good sallah celebration. We were planning for our future I did not know I will not discuss or plan any thing without my brother again," he said.
The traumatized Wasiu further alleged that the said police officer was drunk. "When we got to the checkpoint, the officers demanded for N50 and my brother was about to give them the money from his pocket but the money fell off from his pocket. Immediately the officer saw the money, he got angry and used his gun butt to hit the deceased on his head while he was on top of the motorcycle and fell down.
"The deceased sustain seriously injuries on his head, and was rushed to the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. He has been there since that day until this morning that died," he reiterated.
He continued, "He had over N50.000 in my brother's pocket as we are coming back. Immediately he fell down, the policeman fled the scene and carted away with the money and his mobile phone.
The deceased master, Mr Adebayo Popoola who trained him for apprenticeship scheme, who also witnessed the incident told our reporter that they were all coming back from the village after the sallah celebration.
"In fact, what I can say is that the police officers we met at the check point are heartless. I did not believe my boy is gone. The police officer has sent this poor boy to early grave just like that? They are inhuman and wicked to have killed an innocent boy beacuse of N50."
“On getting to the hospital, the doctor requested for police medical report and N50,000 for treatment. Someone contacted the DPO of Obokun police station who came to the hospital and gave us N30,000."
The family of the deceased has called on the Osun state government and the Inspector General of Police to fish out the officers that killed their son.
