He Died From Asphyxiation - Police Deny Beating Suspect, Erasmus Emeya, To Death While In Their Custody

Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Spokesperson of the Nigerian Police Force, has dismissed claims that the 33-year-old graduate, Erasmus Emeya, was tortured to death in their custody.

This comes after the mother of the deceased, Rebecca Emeya, in a recent interview on the Berekete Family show, alleged that Erasmus was tortured and killed at the Nyanya Police Station in Abuja.

However, the force spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement released via X, denied claims that Erasmus was tortured to death.

According to him, the deceased was arrested for cultism and r*pe, stressing that an autopsy carried out on him revealed Erasmus died of asphyxiation and not torture.

Adejobi said the autopsy was done in the presence of the doctor(s) of the deceased family.

The statement read, “My attention has been drawn to this video. The matter is an old one and it has been decided. The FCT command handled the case. The autopsy report cleared the air on this. The boy, who was a cultist and arrested for alleged r*ping and killing of a young lady in the company of his friend, was never tortured by the police.

“The Force Headquarters was involved in the investigation then. Erasmus was a cultist who had been fingered in many crises and alleged killings of some innocent Nigerians in the area. He died of asphyxiation, according to the autopsy. Not torture, please. The autopsy was done in the presence of the doctor(s) of the deceased family.

“It’s unfortunate he died because the police even needed him to unravel some issues and pending cases in the area. May his soul rest in peace, while we urge Nigerians to always objective perception, understanding of cases, and view issues objectively before running down the police. We didn’t kill Erasmus.”