Tragedy struck when a 19-year-old boy, Rilwanu Akintunde was beaten up, handcuffed and locked inside a teargassed room for allegedly stealing N90,000 for six hours by his mother, her brother Kayode and a policeman identified as Titus.
Rilwanu, fondly referred to Rado, was accused of collecting the said amount belonging to his mother, which he denied. But his accusers didn’t believe him.
Unable to bear the torture, the teenager passed out and was rushed to Beachland Hospital, Arepo, where he was confirmed dead on Sunday evening.
His torturers secretly buried him at his mother’s site at Sotel, not knowing their actions would draw the wrath of residents of Oriola Street, Ibafo and the neighbouring environs.
Youths in the area went berserk after discovering that the money for which Rilwanu was tortured to death was later found in his mother’s closet.
Bearing makeshift weapons, the mob, it was gathered, stormed Kayode’s residence; chased the tenants away and vandalized his property.
It was gathered Kayode and his police friend, Titus, had fled the neighborhood. The deceased’s mother and Kayode’s wife were arrested by policemen from Ibafo Division, who visited the place yesterday.
According to residents, Rilwanu’s killers might have had another motive for their action because the teenager was neither a thief nor troublesome. His friends, it was gathered, produced an obituary for him, which they pasted not far from the community mosque.
The deceased’s wife, Damilola Owoigbe, with their eight-month-old son on her arms, demanded justice.
She said: “I want those responsible for my husband’s death to be arrested and jailed for life. They killed him for nothing. Rado was never a thief. Everyone in Ibafo loved him. He was a peaceful person. He was an apprentice at a tailoring shop because he wanted to make life better for us and for his two siblings.
“Their father is dead. Their mother sells bottled water in traffic. She was the one who went and told her brother on Sunday morning that Rilwanu stole her N90,000. Then, her brother, Kayode sent his wife to call his police friend, Titus and they tortured him to death.
“I was not there. I was in my mother’s house. But I was told that the policeman brought handcuffs and teargas, which they used on him. I was also told that blood was all over his body. Now, I am confused because I don’t know who would take care of our son.”
Police spokesman, Ogun State Command Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, but said he was unaware if Titus was a policeman.