The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Monday ordered the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Division (FCID), DIG Anthony Ogbizi, to investigate the killing of Remo stars football club player, Tiyamiyu Kazeem, by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Kazeem, an Assistant Captain and Defender with Remo stars FC, was reported killed on Saturday allegedly by the Police, but the police said the deceased was knocked down by a vehicle while trying to cross the expressway in order to evade arrest by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
It was learned that eyewitness accounts disclosed that Kazeem was pushed out of a moving vehicle by police officers which caused his death.
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, in a statement on Monday indicated that the IG of Police gave the order for immediate investigation into the death of the player on Monday while reviewing daily reports of major crime incident across the country.
The statement read inter alia: “The IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has ordered the DIG in-charge of the FCID, DIG Anthony Ogbizi to, with immediate effect, take over investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of Late Mr. Tiamiyu Kazeem in Sagamu, Ogun State, on 22nd February 2020.”
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The FPRO added that the IGP while commiserating with the family and friends of the deceased called for calm, assuring that justice will be done in the matter while reiterating that any person found culpable will be brought to book.
The Ogun State Police Command observed that arrest of Kazeem was ordered after he was suspected to be wearing a military outfit.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, was cited to have said in a statement: “A Police Inspector attached to Zonal Intervention Squad Obada-Oko in Abeokuta said to have received information about the deceased that he always put on military apparel knowing fully well that he is not military personnel.
“Based on the information, the Inspector went to Shagamu and saw the deceased putting on a military cap consequent upon which he got him arrested.
“On the way to Abeokuta, the vehicle they were traveling with developed a mechanical fault and while the officer was trying to rectify the fault, the arrested person jumped down from the vehicle to escape.
“In his bid to run across the road, an oncoming vehicle which is on high speed knocked him down and he died on the spot.”
The Club refuted the claim by the police. “The SARS officer stopped Tiyamiyu Kazeem, insisting that he was a Yahoo Boy; he brought out his identity (ID) card to identify himself as a player of Remo Stars FC but the officer insisted on taking him to the nearest police station in Sagamu, Ogun State.
“Tiyamiyu and Sanni obliged, followed the SARS officers, only for them to notice that they were driving towards Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway; then, the guys questioned to know where the SARS officers were taking them to, but this prompted them to stop the car and push him (Tiyamiyu) out of the car, whereby an unknowing vehicle knocked him down,” the Club cited an eye witness to have narrated.