An Accord Party (AP) Chieftain in Ondo State, Mrs. Ronke Adeluga was at the weekend allegedly beaten to death by some policemen, who invaded her house in search of some crime suspects.
The 50-year-old Adelugba was the woman leader of AP in Akure ward.
Eyewitnesses told DAILY POST that she was allegedly hit with gun butt and beaten by two of the seven policemen, who came to her house.
The seven policemen, who came in a white police hilux van with registration number NPF 4236 B, had stormed the house located at No. 1, Akinyemi Street, off Ijoka Road, Akure, after searching a nearby bush for some boys believed to be smoking Indian hemp in the area.
Unable to see anybody in the bush, the policemen then came to Mrs. Adelugba’s house to see if the boys were hiding there.
However, an argument ensued, with Mrs. Adelugba insisting that only her own children were in the three bedroom house.
Insisting that she would not let her children be arrested without any explanation or warrant, Mrs Adelugba was shoved, beaten and hit with gun butt and in the process, she slumped and died within two minutes.
It was learnt that the policemen who came to the area were in the habit of raiding bars and ‘drinking joints’ in the area every weekend just to arrest young boys who would later be asked to be bailed with money ranging from N5,000 to N10, 000, without being charged for any offence.
It was gathered that the deceased, sensing that a similar thing was to be done to her children, had demanded for an explanation on the offence committed by her children, only to be beaten to her death by the policemen.
It was further gathered that the officers were nearly mobbed by the residents, before escaping from the area.
The lifeless body of the deceased was dumped at the Ala Police Station.
The policemen later took the body to the State Specialist Hospital where the remains were deposited in the morgue.
One of the children of the diseased, who simply identified himself as Henry, told journalists that his mother has no history of illness and has never been to any hospital for treatment as she was popularly called ‘Iron Lady’ because of her strength and spirit of hard work.
He said she only asked one question from the leader of the policemen before she was beaten by two of the policemen, one of who hit her on the head with stick and another hitting her at the back with gun butt.
He said the policemen fled the house without making any arrest after his mother fell and died.
Henry said it was the policemen who took the lifeless body to the hospital at about 9pm on Sunday, adding that the family had resolved to seek justice for the wrongful death of his mother in the hands of law enforcement officers.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Wale Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, however, said the woman only started panting and died after policemen left the house, adding that she was not killed by the policemen as being claimed by the family.
Ogodo added that an autopsy would be carried out on the deceased by the hospital and that the police had begun an investigation into the incident to unravel the mystery of the woman’s death.
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