Lagos Barber Dies Day After Release From 28-Day Police Detention, Family Alleges Torture
Lagos Barber Dies Day After Release From 28-Day Police Detention, Family Alleges Torture
Medical Report Cites Severe Blood Loss, Haemorrhagic Shock As Family Demands Independent Probe; Police Deny Torture Allegation.
A Lagos-based barber, Babajide Adelowo, has died a day after his release from 28 days of police detention, with his family accusing operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s CP-X Squad of torturing him and denying him adequate medical attention while in custody.
The family is demanding an independent investigation into his death, alleging that Adelowo was subjected to repeated physical abuse during detention and released in a critical condition that eventually proved fatal.
Adelowo was reportedly arrested at his barbing shop in Iba Estate, Iyana-Iba, on October 6 over an allegation of unlawful possession of firearms. He was released on November 3 but died shortly afterwards.
According to a report, his relatives alleged that police officers searched his business premises extensively but recovered no firearms. They claimed that the officers nevertheless removed several personal belongings, including a generator and chairs.
Speaking on the incident, the deceased’s uncle, Samson Adelowo, said the officers searched virtually every part of the shop, including breaking through the ceiling and checking the water tank, without finding any weapon.
He also alleged that the officers denied his nephew access to his telephone and restricted visits from family members.
The family reportedly engaged lawyers to secure his release but was allowed to see him only two or three times throughout his detention. His wife, Mariam, was also allegedly threatened with arrest when she attempted to visit him.
Samson further accused the officers of extorting N50,000 from the estate chairman, who accompanied the lawyers to meet them. He claimed that the chairman was threatened with detention before paying the money to secure his freedom.
Alleged torture and deteriorating health
The family’s account of Adelowo’s final days in detention centres on allegations of severe physical abuse.
His wife said she was shocked when police officers eventually brought him to PWD bus stop on November 3 and handed him over to the family.
According to her, Adelowo was extremely weak, pale and barely able to walk. The officers reportedly had to support him while transferring him into the family’s vehicle.
During the journey, Adelowo reportedly narrated some of the experiences he allegedly endured in detention.
Mariam said her husband told her that officers repeatedly tied his hands and legs to a weightlifting rod and suspended him in the air for between 30 and 40 minutes.
He allegedly said the exercise was carried out three times and that another instrument was used to squeeze his hands, leaving his muscles and veins severely affected.
The injuries reportedly left him unable to feed himself or maintain personal hygiene without assistance from other detainees.
He also allegedly told his wife that he fainted four times while in custody, with the final incident occurring after fellow detainees raised an alarm over his condition.
According to Mariam, he regained consciousness to discover that his body and clothes were covered in blood and faeces.
The widow further alleged that police officers eventually took him to a hospital two days before his release, following the deterioration of his health.
Medical report details final emergency
A medical report dated November 5, 2026, addressed to the Head of Pathology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, provided details of Adelowo’s final medical emergency.
The report stated that he was brought to the hospital on November 3 with complaints of bleeding, vomiting of blood, abdominal pain, severe body weakness and anaemia.
Medical personnel described him as acutely ill, lethargic, pale and dehydrated.
Following examination, doctors assessed his condition as symptomatic anaemia resulting from upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, complicated by haemorrhagic shock.
He was admitted, blood samples were collected and treatment commenced.
Although he received one pint of blood without complications, his condition subsequently deteriorated while preparations were being made to administer another pint.
The report stated that he began convulsing and vomiting. Although the symptoms subsided temporarily, his oxygen level dropped, prompting doctors to administer supplemental oxygen and arrange his transfer to a tertiary healthcare facility.
About an hour later, he reportedly began gasping for breath.
Medical personnel commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but their efforts were unsuccessful. He was subsequently pronounced dead.
His family said doctors had requested six pints of blood, but they could only secure one before his condition became critical.
Family alleges N10m demand
The deceased’s wife also alleged that a fellow detainee had identified her husband to the police as someone who possessed firearms.
According to her, the individual later apologised to Adelowo in detention, claiming that he had been instructed to identify him.
The family is also demanding an investigation into an alleged N10 million demand and the reported collection of N50,000 from the estate chairman.
Adelowo, who was the father of one child, was described by his wife as the family’s major breadwinner.
Mariam said his prolonged detention forced her to take on financial responsibilities she had not previously handled, while their young son repeatedly asked when his father would return home.
She said she continued reassuring the child that his father would come back, only for him to eventually see his father’s body.
The widow also questioned why the police allegedly failed to follow up on his medical condition after releasing him, adding that neither she nor the family’s lawyer received any communication from the command.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Adekunle Taofeek, has called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to initiate an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Adelowo’s arrest, detention, alleged torture and death.
The group specifically demanded a probe into the activities of officers attached to the CP-X Squad over allegations of unlawful detention, extortion, physical abuse and denial of adequate medical attention.
It also called for an independent autopsy involving the deceased’s family to establish the actual cause of death and determine whether alleged physical injuries or delayed medical intervention contributed to the tragedy.
Other demands include an investigation into the alleged N10 million demand, recovery of the generator, chairs and other belongings reportedly taken from the barbing shop, and protection for the widow, relatives and witnesses against possible intimidation.
The movement further demanded appropriate compensation if police liability is established and prosecution of any officers found culpable.
It maintained that allegations of criminal involvement cannot justify torture or degrading treatment, stressing that every suspect is entitled to lawful investigation and prosecution.
Police deny torture allegation
However, the Lagos State Police Command has disputed the family’s account.
When contacted on Sunday, November 8, the command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, denied that Adelowo was tortured while in police custody.
She said the command would issue an official statement on the matter the following day.
Beyond the conflicting accounts of the family and the police, Adelowo’s death raises serious questions that require independent answers.
What exactly happened during the 28 days he spent in police custody? What caused the severe gastrointestinal bleeding and haemorrhagic shock documented in the medical report? Were his medical needs promptly addressed while he was detained? What became of the firearms allegation that led to his arrest?
The medical report establishes the severity of his condition when he was brought for treatment, but it does not, on its own, establish how the injuries or bleeding occurred or who was responsible.
An independent investigation, including an autopsy and examination of detention records, medical records and statements from fellow detainees, would be necessary to establish the facts.
For a family that says its breadwinner entered police custody and returned barely able to walk, the demand is straightforward: establish what happened, identify anyone responsible and ensure accountability if wrongdoing is proven.
