Deborah Akinyosoye
The Magistrates Court sitting in the Badagry area of Lagos State has remanded one Ado Lekan for torturing an 18-year-old boy identified simply as Great in the Abule Odan-Era in the Ojo area of Lagos State.
Earlier reports show that Great was hospitalised after being tortured by some suspected louts for allegedly stealing an underwear in the community on Monday, August 18.
Great’s aunt, who identified herself simply as Philomena, said she was at home when some men brought him with his face visibly swollen.
She explained that the men, who occupy a base in the community known as New Era, accused him of stealing a pair of boxers while they also demanded she follow them to the spot.
According to her, the men asked her to pay N30,000 for the boxers and an extra N20,000 fine. She added that the men later tortured her son after she paid the money.
The state Police Pubic Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed on Thursday that Ado, who was among the perpetrators, was arrested and charged in court.
He said, “Ado was arraigned on August 17 on charges bordering on conspiracy, threat to kill, unlawful assault, and breach of peace. The court subsequently ordered that he be remanded in custody.”
Philomena, while narrating, said some men brought Great home with a swollen face, accusing him of stealing a pair of boxers from a clothesline.
She said, “The men, who claimed to secure the community, demanded I follow them to their base, where they forced me to pay N30,000 for the boxers and later insisted on an additional N50,000 fine. After pleading, they reduced it to N20,000.
“Before I left to source the N20,000, the men said they wanted to perform a sacrifice on him, and they asked me to sign an undertaken that I would take him out of the community once they released him. A family friend later lent me the money, and I gave it to them, making it a total of N50,000. It was after this that they took my son to their base and tortured him while recording him in the process.”
In a video, Great was blindfolded with his hands and legs tied while two men flogged him.
Great over the phone denied committing the act.
He said, “I was going through a shortcut leading to Adele, and along there was an open compound, and they spread their clothes there. So, a man approached me and asked why I took boxers from their line. His brother joined him, and they began raising their voices. Another person who joined them began to slap me. They later asked me to take them to my aunt’s place. When we got there, they told my aunt to follow them and bail me out with money. But before she came, they already gave me a boxer to hold and started to take pictures of me.”