Men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), Ondo State Police Command, have allegedly tortured a 70-year-old commercial driver to death inside their custody in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Gbenga Omolo, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Union (NURTW) was said to have been arrested by the policemen following his altercation with one of them last week.

According to a source, the deceased, during a light traffic jam along Oda road, Akure, accused the plain cloth policemen of causing the gridlock, an action, which drew the cop out of his car to engage Omolo in hot argument.

The aggressive policeman was said to have physically descended on the old man until some sympathisers came to his rescue.

The following day, the police man allegedly mobilised his men to the mini garage being used by the drivers, where they arrested drivers at sight, after which Omolo was later detained at Oda road.

His family members, in effort to secure his bail, were later told of his death.

Irked by the development, the drivers’ union mobilised themselves to stage a protest the Police Headquarters in along Igbatoro road, Akure.

A source said that Omolo was tortured to death because he could not raise a sum of N150, 000 demanded for his bail.

The source said the members of the NURTW, however, raised N100, 000.

The erring policemen are said to have been detained at the police headquarters.

The family of the deceased declined to speak on the issue, saying the Commissioner of Police had invited them to his office to discuss the matter, but members of the NURTW had threatened to take the matter to court to fight the injustice.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, also declined comment on the incident.

Ogodo said he had not been properly briefed on the development.

*Adapted from Nigerian Tribune. Photo shows IGP Arase

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