LOKOJA, Nigeria – A sorrowful symphony of sobs repeatedly shattered the eerie silence within the modest two-bedroom apartment as family members and friends mourned the loss of Police Inspector Taiye Atobiloye.
Seated mourners whispered prayers and offered comfort to each other, their grief evident in their heavy sighs and tear-streaked faces. Oluwabukola, Inspector Taiye’s wife, was a picture of devastation.
A teacher in a public school in Kwara State, she wrestled with the shocking news of her husband’s demise after a controversial week-long detention in a Lokoja police cell.
“Is it true?” Each new arrival would ask, their heartbreak resounding through the apartment as the grim reality set in. After four stillbirths and 12 years of marriage, Oluwabukola’s dream of motherhood seemed to have died alongside her husband.
“How could the police do this to one of their own?” she asked rhetorically on Friday, April 28, 2023, her voice choked with emotion. “I want the world to know what they did to my husband. They collected a lot of money from him and tortured him to death.”
Inspector Taiye, who bore the force number 232980, was a 22-year veteran of the Oke Onigbin Police Division in Kwara State. His life took a tragic turn when he was unexpectedly deployed on a special duty to Zone 8 Police Command in Lokoja, Kogi State.
According to Oluwabukola, the original officer chosen for the assignment managed to evade the posting, leading to Taiye being selected as the replacement.
Despite his vocal objections to the assignment, a senior officer persuaded him to wait in Ilorin while he sought to negotiate with the Divisional Police Officer, Stephen Aigbogun.
Yet, the call for negotiation never came. Instead, the signal for Taiye to report to Lokoja was sent. Resigned, Taiye made the journey on Easter Monday, armed with medical documents that declared him unfit for the special assignment.
In 2019, Taiye had been involved in a horrific accident that left his leg crushed. His injuries were treated at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and he had since lived with the physical ramifications of the incident. He hoped his medical reports would sway the authorities to reverse the deployment.
The Assistant Area Commander in Lokoja expressed shock at Taiye’s posting and promised to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, seven days later, Taiye was found dead in his police cell, casting a dark shadow over the police force and leaving a trail of questions in its wake.
