Harry Archie
A 30-year-old student and aluminium worker, Al-Amin Mohammed, has died by suicide days after being released from police and prison custody over a dispute involving an alleged N8,000 debt.
According to his family, Al-Amin had borrowed N23,000 from a Point-of-Sale operator but had repaid N15,000, leaving N8,000 outstanding.
A disagreement later developed after his mobile phone was reportedly seized over the unpaid balance.
The dispute escalated, eventually leading to his detention by a vigilante group and subsequent transfer to the police.
He was later taken to court and remanded at the Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan while his family worked to secure his bail.
He was released on September 14 after his parents stood as sureties.
His mother said that after returning home, Al-Amin became withdrawn and stopped eating.
He reportedly repeatedly complained about the humiliation he experienced during his detention and feared that his reputation had been damaged.
Three days after his release, his family said he ingested rat poison.
He was taken to several hospitals before eventually being admitted at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, where he died.
His family is now calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his arrest, detention and prosecution.
The police said they were not initially aware of the incident when contacted by Empirical Magazine.
