Ogun man, 62, narrates how he lost his leg to police brutality

Adejoke Adeleye/Abeokuta

A 62 –year-old man, Apostle Anthony Olaoluwa Kusimo, has narrated how he lost his right leg after he was shot by a police officer he simply identified as Moshood before the Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up to  investigate complaints of brutality, human rights abuses and extra judicial killings by security operatives by Ogun State Government.

Apostle Kusimo, while narrating his ordeal to the Panel sitting at Magistrate Court 1, Isabo, Abeokuta said, “On the 9th of February, 2012, two police officers accosted me around Iporo Ake area of Abeokuta in the afternoon and one of them shot me and they both ran away”.

“I was rushed to the General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta by neighbors. After I have received some treatment, I was asked to go for X-Ray the second day. But to my surprise, I got arrested at the hospital’s gate by some officers of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad from Magbon, Abeokuta and was put behind counter for 37 days, tortured with hot iron and asked to confess that I was an armed robber which I refused”.

Apostle Kusimo revealed that due to neglect and lack of proper care for the leg, it started producing maggots and smelling and later degenerated to the level of amputation in April 2012.

“At this point, we had no money again to purchase drugs and pay hospital bills. I had to sell my uncompleted building which was ready for roofing for just N500,000 to take care of the medical bills”,

Apostle Anthony requested for government’s support in terms of compensation for the money spent on his treatment and to take care of his family.

Another petition brought before the Panel was that of Mr. Gbenga Kehinde who was arrested on 7th October, 2017 along with his three friends at Emuren, Ijebu Ode.

Kehinde claimed they were taken to Magbon in Abeokuta where they were accused of stealing fish worth N63 million from a farm in Ijebu Ode.

The petitioner said he and his friends spent almost three months in police custody with several daily tortures from one Inspector Adam Abubakar for an offence they did not commit.

The cases had been adjourned to 28th January and 1st February, 2021 respectively for further hearing and to get the accused police officers to respond to the allegations against them.