Oyo Police Criticized After Al-Amin Mohammed's Suicide

Civil society organizations have condemned the Oyo State Police Command regarding the case of 30-year-old Al-Amin Mohammed, who died by suicide three days after his release from custody. His death, linked to an N8,000 debt dispute, raised concerns about the police's role in escalating a civil matter into a criminal proceeding.

Al-Amin was detained at the Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan and released on September 14. He ingested poison on September 17, with his family stating that the humiliation from his arrest and detention contributed to his death.

The Oyo State Police Command denied that Al-Amin was arrested over the debt, claiming he was charged with assault and malicious damage to property. However, a charge sheet revealed no assault allegation, only conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and malicious damage related to the N8,000 debt.

Legal experts criticized the police for misusing their authority in debt recovery, emphasizing that such matters should be resolved through civil channels.