A 34-year-old barber based in Lagos State, Babajide Adelowo, has died just a day after being released from a 28-day detention by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command. The deceased’s family is now demanding an independent investigation, alleging he died as a result of severe torture endured while in police custody.
Operatives attached to the X-Squad of the Lagos State Police Command arrested Adelowo on October 6, 2026, at his shop located in Iba Estate, Iyana-Iba, Lagos. Police officers raided the shop on suspicion that he possessed illegal firearms.
According to the deceased’s uncle, Samson Adelowo, officers searched the premises thoroughly, including tearing open the ceiling and searching the water storage tank, but failed to find any weapons. He added that officers proceeded to confiscate Adelowo’s business equipment, including his generator and chairs, before detaining him.
Adelowo was held for 28 days without formal charges. His family alleges that during his detention, officers tied his hands and feet to a heavy weightlifting rod and suspended him in mid-air, inflicting severe internal injuries.
He was eventually released on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. His wife, Mariam Adelowo, stated that police officers handed him over to the family around the PWD Bus Stop along Ikeja, Lagos.
”When we saw him, he could not even walk properly. He was so pale and fragile. The police officers were the ones guiding him into our car. They told us to handle him carefully and take him straight to the hospital,” Mariam recounted.
She noted that officers handed her a nylon bag containing IV drips, plasters, and a referral note from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta, where he had apparently been treated briefly while in custody.
Despite being rushed for emergency medical attention, Adelowo’s condition worsened rapidly. A medical evaluation noted that he was suffering from digestive tract bleeding, severe symptomatic anaemia, and severe haemorrhagic shock. He succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Adelowo’s widow revealed that her husband confessed before dying that another detainee had falsely pointed him out as a gun owner under police coercion, only for the detainee to later apologise to him in custody.
When contacted regarding the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Lagos State Command, DSP Abimbola Adebisi, denied the torture allegations. She stated that the command is looking into the matter and will issue a comprehensive official statement regarding the circumstances surrounding his arrest and detention.
Meanwhile, civil rights organisations, including the Take It Back Movement, alongside the deceased’s family, have demanded an immediate, independent autopsy and prosecution of all officers involved in the operation.
