Ex-inmates Ismail Lasisi and Lukman Adeyemi spent 24 years in prison for the ritual killing of a woman they knew nothing about.
The following story is a horror story. The rule of law in Nigeria shows, to say the least, flaws. The two key persons in this article, Ismael Lasisi and Lukman Adeyemi, were arrested and detained in 2000, severely tortured by law enforcers (sic!) and sentenced to death in 2009 – but were released this year, in 2024.
Their painful and harrowing experience teaches us a lesson: to be careful with our judgements and always check facts.
On the positive side: Nigerians have donated N1m to the two former inmates. I sincerely hope that the two wrongfully jailed Nigerians will recover and that they will be able to re-build their lives despite the 24 wasted years.
(FVDK)
Some information on Oyo State where it all happened.
Oyo State is located in the South West geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones commonly called zones.
Oyo State is an inland state and Nigeria’s sixth most populous state (after Kano, Lagos, Katsina, Kaduna and Bauchi states) with an estimated 9 to 10 million people (2024) and ranks 14 by surface area with 28,454 km2.
Ibadan is Oyo State’s capital and its most populous city, and Nigeria’s third (after Lagos and Kano). It’s population is estimated at close to 4 million people whereas in its metropolitan area an estimated 6 million people live, mainly Yoruba but also Igbo, Hausa, Edo and Ibibio from other parts of Nigeria.
Nigerians donate N1m for ex-inmates wrongfully jailed 24 years over ritual murder
Published: July 28, 2024
By: Enitan Daramola – Punch, Nigeria
Well-meaning Nigerians have donated at least one million naira on behalf of ex-inmates Ismail Lasisi and Lukman Adeyemi, who spent 24 years in prison for the ritual killing of a woman they knew nothing about.
In an emotional interview with The Punch, Lasisi and Adeyemi shared their harrowing experience. They were arrested and detained in August 2000, coerced into confessing to the murder under severe torture by security operatives. They were sentenced to death in 2009 but were miraculously released on June 12, 2024.
Adeyemi, who had housed Lasisi after a fallout with the prime suspects, was arrested with his friend when they visited a police station in Oyo State, following police inquiries about Lasisi.
“In August 2000, after returning home from work with a friend living with me, Ismaila Lasisi, we were told that the Police came to look for Ismaila and he was asked to report himself to the station.
“I immediately decided to follow him to the station, lo and behold I was arrested and detained along with him. I was tortured to the point of death over a crime I knew nothing about, right from the police station. I had a close shave with death over the murder of a woman who was hired by some ex-friends of Ismaila Lasisi to fetch water for them at the construction site. The woman left home in the morning and she never returned home,” Adeyemi told Vanguard.
The ex-inmates credited their release to the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR), led by Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi, who facilitated their exoneration.
In a surprising twist, the herbalist arrested in connection with the murder was later released by the police. But another suspect who was said to be innocent reportedly died under torture.
After seeking assistance to rebuild their lives, Lasisi’s account details were shared on The Punch’s social media pages. Within hours, he received donations totalling at least one million naira.
Lasisi revealed in a chat with one of our correspondents that as of 1:35 p.m. Saturday, they had received over 500,000 naira. By the time of this report, donations had reached one million naira.
“My friend, Lukman, decided to follow me to the police station to prove my innocence,” Lasisi told The Punch. “When we got there, the police detained us. Three days later, some SARS operatives from Abeokuta came to meet us,” Adeyemi chorused.
Lasisi added, “They battered and tied me up like an Ileya festival ram. They placed an iron on my chest and I was in distress. They beat me mercilessly from 4pm to 7pm. They took turns to beat me. I only survived by God’s grace because I could have died…”
Lasisi described how, after being untied but unable to move, he was carried to another room by an unknown person. He was unable to speak and could only stand up four days later, though the interrogation continued.
“Later that night, they untied me but I couldn’t move. I was motionless and an unrecognized person carried me to another room. I could no longer talk. I was able to stand up four days later but the interrogation continued.”
Under intense torture, Lasisi and Adeyemi were forced to falsely confess to the crime to end the brutality, but this only led to their death sentence.
Continuing the story, Adeyemi said, “They tortured someone beside me to death and showed me his corpse, We learnt that the person was also innocent but they tortured him to death.” Lasisi added, “They promised to stop the torture if I confessed to the murder and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I lied against myself to prevent further torture.”
Adeyemi also confessed to the crime he had no part in, due to the relentless torture. “When they wouldn’t stop torturing me, I lied against myself that I was involved in the murder.”
Watch the full video below:
Source: Nigerians donate N1m for ex-inmates wrongfully jailed 24 years over murder
