I was born on October 7, 1967, into a Muslim family, but later converted to Christianity, which is why I now go by the name John. I’m originally from Iseyin, Oyo State. My late brother, Ganiyu Saheed, was much younger than me, and I had already started having my own children before our father married his mother. He was born in 1994, so I regarded him almost like a son. Our father had four wives, and Ganiyu’s mother was the fourth.
After our father passed, raising Ganiyu became a shared responsibility among us older siblings. That is why this tragedy cuts so deeply. I know the sacrifices we made to give him a good future.
He was a trained mechanic, not an Okada rider as some reports claimed. In October last year, I sponsored his graduation ceremony after he completed his apprenticeship in Igoho, Oyo State.
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He worked for years to master his craft. After graduation, he moved to Ago-Iwoye to establish his own workshop, where customers, including motorcycle riders, came to have their bikes repaired. He may have occasionally used a motorcycle to move around, but he was never an Okada rider by profession. He was a dedicated mechanic, already building a name for himself.
On Sunday morning, September 28, 2025, around 9 a.m., we received a call from Ago-Iwoye informing us that Ganiyu was dead. At first, I couldn’t believe it. I kept asking, “How can Ganiyu be dead? What happened?” but nobody could give a straight answer. Immediately, my family and I travelled to Ago-Iwoye. Upon arrival, we were told that the police killed him.
We asked if he had stolen anything, and they said no. That was the first shock. My brother, whom I had just celebrated after his graduation, was killed inside a police cell without committing any crime.
We went to the police station in Ago-Iwoye, but couldn’t meet the Divisional Police Officer because he had gone to Abeokuta. We waited until evening but eventually returned home. On Tuesday, we went back and finally met the DPO. To my surprise, he told us he knew Ganiyu very well and even had his phone number saved. I asked him, “If you knew this boy personally, why did you allow him to be treated like a criminal?” That was when he explained their version of events.
The DPO said he wasn’t present when Ganiyu was brought to the station. According to him, some of Ganiyu’s customers called him on Friday night, September 26, 2025, between 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., asking him to help buy fuel. He obliged and went home. Then, around 4 a.m. the following morning, those same boys returned with policemen, claiming Ganiyu was a suspect in a robbery. They arrested him and took him to the station.
The DPO admitted that two people were arrested that night, but that one person’s name was later erased from the detention board, leaving only Ganiyu’s name. He also confirmed that Ganiyu was detained without writing any statement. But by Sunday morning, he died in police custody.
According to the DPO, the inspector handling Ganiyu’s case confessed to torturing him to death. Other detainees in the same cell told us the inspector used a machete and a rod to beat him. They said Ganiyu had already died in the cell from the torture, but the inspector tried to cover it up by rushing him to a hospital and claiming he was still alive.
When we saw his body at the Ijebu-Ode mortuary, we broke down in tears. There was blood in his eyes, deep cuts on the back of his head, and wounds all over his back. Something heavy must have been used on him. No human being deserves to die like that.
The DPO said he was a Hausa inspector, and I’ve forgotten his name. However, people in the area, especially the Okada riders’ union leaders, know him well. The DPO mentioned that the inspector was already in detention for his actions. But for us, that is not enough. This matter cannot end at “he confessed.” There must be justice.
Yes, I strongly believe so. Ganiyu must have seen something that night when he went to buy fuel for those boys. From all indications, they were Yahoo boys. I suspect they paid the inspector to eliminate him.
Because Ganiyu was not a thief. The police found nothing incriminating in his room; no weapons, no stolen property. Even the money he used to buy the fuel was not returned. Instead, those boys came back with policemen at 4 a.m. to arrest him. To me, it was a setup. He must have witnessed something they wanted to cover up, and they used the police to silence him.
At first, the DPO suggested we visit the inspector in his cell. But our family members were too angry. We told him there was no point in seeing the man who killed our brother. What we want is justice, not a face-to-face confrontation. Later, the DPO also suggested following him to Abeokuta to meet the Commissioner of Police, but our family insisted we wanted answers right there in Ago-Iwoye.
Ganiyu was one of the gentlest young men you could ever meet. He was so quiet that he could barely finish a plate of amala worth just N300; he wasn’t a heavy eater. He was peaceful, never got into fights, and was genuinely loved by his customers. Even the policemen in his area knew him as humble and respectful. He was simply focused on building his mechanic business. Losing him this way is like having the light of our family switched off.
Honestly, it has been unbearable. Ganiyu still had a mother who depended on him. Our late father entrusted him to us, and we worked tirelessly to ensure he had a future. Even my younger brother, before he passed, had been supporting him. I continued that support, sponsoring his graduation. Now, all of that effort has been wasted. We, his siblings, feel robbed. The family is broken.
We are demanding justice, nothing less. The inspector who killed him must face trial. Those who set him up must be exposed. We want the government and the police hierarchy to take full responsibility. Cases like this are often swept under the carpet in Nigeria, but we will not allow this one to be overlooked. Our son was innocent. He was not a criminal. He did not deserve to be tortured to death.
It shows that nothing has really changed. During #EndSARS, Nigerians protested against police brutality, extortion, and killings. The government promised reform, yet here we are again. My brother’s death is another painful example that ordinary Nigerians are not safe in police custody. It could happen to anyone: your son, your brother, your husband. That is why we are calling on civil society, human rights groups, and the media to help demand justice.
To Nigerians: do not stay silent when injustice happens around you. If we remain silent, many more innocent lives will be lost. To the authorities: enough is enough. Stop shielding bad officers. Stop covering up murder. The police are meant to protect lives, not destroy them. Let justice be done in Ganiyu’s case. That is the only way his soul can rest in peace, and the only way his family can find some comfort.