The Oyo State Police Command has officially refuted reports alleging that 30-year-old polytechnic student and aluminum fixer, Al-Amin Mohammed, was arrested and charged to court over an outstanding ₦8,000 debt prior to taking his own life.
According to an official statement issued on Saturday, September 19, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Office at Command Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, police authorities clarified that Mohammed was charged for assault and malicious damage, specifically regarding a SIM registration machine valued at ₦177,000, rather than a financial dispute.
On September 8, 2026, following a financial transaction with the complainant, identified as Kazeem, where an ₦8,000 balance remained outstanding, police stated that Mohammed allegedly stormed the complainant’s residence.
The encounter degenerated into physical assault and the destruction of a SIM registration machine valued at ₦177,000.
Police arrested Mohammed on criminal allegations stemming from the incident. Upon court arraignment, the magistrate granted him bail. Unable to fulfill his bail conditions immediately, Mohammed was remanded at the Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan under court orders, not by police decree.
After his parents stepped in as sureties and perfected his bail conditions on September 14, 2026, Mohammed was released from the custodial facility and returned home.
Three days post-release on September 17, during which family members observed him becoming increasingly withdrawn, Mohammed tragically died by suicide at his residence.
Speaking through official channels under Command Spokesperson DSP Ayanlade Olushola Olayinka, the Oyo State Police Command described reports linking his arrest directly to the ₦8,000 debt as “false, unfounded, and misleading.”
”While the ₦8,000 constituted the outstanding balance in the antecedent financial transaction, it was not the basis of the criminal charge before the court,” the Command stated. “The distinction is important, as the criminal proceedings arose from the assault and the damage to the SIM registration machine valued at ₦177,000.”
Addressing allegations connecting his detention directly to his untimely death, the police cautioned against drawn conclusions before comprehensive findings are established:
”As regards the reported death of the suspect, the Command considers it inappropriate to draw a causal connection between the Police case and the reported death without verified facts establishing such a link,” the statement added.
“The circumstances surrounding the death should therefore be determined through appropriate investigation and established evidence.”
Meanwhile, the deceased’s mother, Simiat Mohammed, alongside other family members, maintains that exposure to custody profoundly affected his mental well-being, prompting calls for an independent inquiry into the incident.
