By Ado Oyeyemi
Fresh details have emerged on the death of a 30-year-old polytechnic student, Al-Amin Mohammed, who died by suicide days after his release from the Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that the dispute which eventually led to his arrest and prosecution started over an N8,000 debt after a woman allegedly seized his mobile phone over an unpaid balance.
Al-Amin, who combined his studies at a polytechnic in Kwara State with aluminium work, was detained at the Sanyo Police Division following the dispute. His family later alleged that the police demanded N100,000 for his bail before the matter was taken to court.
He was subsequently remanded at the Agodi Custodial Centre after the family was unable to meet the alleged bail demand and the conditions imposed by the court.
Days after securing his release, Al-Amin reportedly ingested a poisonous substance and died.
Following an earlier report on the incident, the Oyo State Police Command, through its spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said the deceased was prosecuted for assault and malicious damage to an Airtel SIM registration machine valued at N177,000, insisting that the case had nothing to do with the N8,000 debt.
However, a review of the charge sheet by Saturday PUNCH showed that the charges included conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace and damage to an Android Itel phone valued at N177,000. The second count also made reference to the N8,000 debt.
A retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, Isiaka Ayole, who secured Al-Amin’s release from the custodial centre, said the deceased told him that he felt he had been treated harshly because of his poor financial situation.
Ayole said the seizure of Al-Amin’s phone by the woman, identified as Iya Ajike, set off the chain of events that eventually led to his detention and prosecution.
He explained that Al-Amin had approached Ajike, an apprentice of a Point-of-Sale operator, Kazeem Mukaila, to obtain N23,000.
According to him, Al-Amin transferred N15,000 and promised to pay the outstanding N8,000 after reaching his daily transaction limit.
When he failed to pay the balance, Ajike reportedly went to his residence, found him asleep and allegedly took his phone.
Mukaila and members of Al-Amin’s family reportedly confirmed the seizure of the phone to Saturday PUNCH.
When Al-Amin returned to retrieve the device, a scuffle allegedly ensued during which an Airtel-branded phone used for business was reportedly damaged. Al-Amin denied damaging the device but was detained by a vigilante and later handed over to the police.
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Ayole questioned why the dispute was not resolved through mediation, particularly after the deceased’s parents reportedly agreed to guarantee repayment of the debt.
He said, “Since the complainant had outrightly claimed he was not interested in a case but his money, why didn’t the police serve as a mediator, especially when they saw the debtor’s parents, who agreed to sign an undertaking to ensure the money was paid?”
Al-Amin’s father, Habeeb Mohammed, also described the family’s financial situation as difficult, saying his wife had to sell her phone to raise money for transportation and food for their son while he was in custody.
He said the family later sought assistance from relatives and well-wishers and sold some belongings to meet the bail conditions that eventually secured Al-Amin’s release.
“We had to resort to seeking alms from relatives and well-wishers.
I also sold some items to be able to raise money to meet the bail terms set by the court, so that the boy would leave the prison,” Habeeb said.
A senior associate at Yusuf Ali & Co, Taofiq Olateju, said a creditor could not lawfully seize another person’s property simply because the person owed money.
He said debt recovery should be pursued through lawful channels and that taking another person’s property without legal authority could amount to an offence.
Similarly, constitutional lawyer Musbau Saheed said the police could not lawfully arrest or detain a person merely because of a debt, stressing that debt was ordinarily a civil matter.
Saheed said the Police Act 2020 prohibited arrest solely on the basis of a civil wrong or breach of contract, adding that allegations of unlawful seizure and detention should be independently investigated.
The Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the circumstances surrounding the case warranted an independent review of the entire sequence of events.
Nwanguma noted that while the police could investigate genuine allegations of assault or damage to property, they must distinguish criminal investigation from the use of police powers to enforce payment of a private debt.
He said investigators should examine the circumstances surrounding the original debt, alleged seizure of Al-Amin’s phone, the vigilante intervention, alleged property damage, police arrest and detention, bail arrangements, prosecution and events leading to his death.
Meanwhile, psychologist Bola Lawal said debt, humiliation and detention could contribute to feelings of hopelessness in vulnerable individuals, but stressed that suicide was not a solution.
She urged people facing overwhelming financial or emotional difficulties to seek support from family members, counsellors and mental health professionals.
