A father of three, Seyi Oduyiga, accused of cultism, has died in the Ogun State Police Command’s custody after he was allegedly detained and tortured by officers.

The 39-year-old stylist was reportedly arrested in connection with the rival cult clashes in Sagamu, where several persons were killed recently.

Mr Oduyiga’s younger sister, Mary, told journalists that the victim went out to charge his phone near his home in Atoyo, Sagamu, on November 18, when the officers arrested him over alleged cultism.

She said that despite vehemently denying the accusation, the police justified his detention by pointing to the tattoos found on his body when he pulled off his clothes.

“There was no electricity; a neighbour put on a generator, and he went there to charge his phone. His house is at Atoyo in Sagamu. He sat under the tree in front of the house, where he was charging his phone, and took off his clothes due to the heat.

“He saw a team of policemen on patrol, and he attempted to run away but fell down and was arrested. He was taken to Awolowo police station along with one other person,” Ms Mary explained.

She said the officers had taken her brother’s pictures and showed other suspected cultists, who denied knowing him.

“The police said he would not be released because he had tattoos on his body, whereas the tattoos were Psalm 23. He wrote the verse of the bible on his body, drew the two hands of Jesus supplicating on his chest with the inscription ‘Only God can judge me.’ He also wrote on his neck ‘The day I will never forget’,” dated April 7, 2014,” she explained.

Ms Mary said she met with a policewoman and pleaded to see Mr Oduyiga, who other inmates said had been taken away from the cell.

“We were later called upstairs to meet the deputy commissioner. We did not know he wanted to break the bad news to us; he then said, ‘Your boy was misbehaving in the cell overnight; he was biting the inmates, talking to himself; he was behaving like he had run mad. They took him to the hospital, and on getting to the hospital, he gave up.’

“On getting to the mortuary, we saw blood on his body; we saw some holes with blood; they had even stitched the area. I was confused that the police could deposit our man in a mortuary and embalmed him without our notice,” Ms Mary explained.

She recalled that the victim had begged his cousin to secure his release because he could no longer “withstand what he was facing.”

“We were told that his eyes were tied, legs tied, and turned upside down. There was blood in his eyes; there was blood in his body,” the victim’s sister stated.

However, the spokesperson for the command, Omololoa Odutola, admitted that the suspect died in the police cell but denied that he was not tortured.

She claimed the victim and others had been charged for being “notorious members of Buccaneer and Eiye confraternity”. Ms Odutola said he was taken to a special court on cultism case in Isabo, Abeokuta, on November 23.

“But the honourable court did not sit, and he was brought back to Eleweran in Abeokuta the same Thursday.

“Seyi was to be taken back to the court at the next available day that the court will sit, which is on Friday, 24th November 2023. However, on Friday, 24th November, at about 0500 hours, Seyi went berserk, shouting, biting his teeth, and assaulted other suspects in the cell until he got exhausted. Other suspects in the cell alerted policemen on duty.

“He was taken to the police hospital and later to Ijaiye General Hospital, Abeokuta, along with other suspects; he gave bites in the cell for medical treatment against infection. Other suspects were treated and discharged, but Seyi, while on medical attention, later gave up the ghost.

“As soon as the autopsy report about the deceased is out, the police will give further details,” Ms Odutola stated.