A policeman Inspector, Taiye Atobiloye, serving on special duty at the Zone 8 Command of the police in Lokoja, Kogi State, has died in detention.
Atobiloye originally attached with the Kwara State Police Command was said to have been detained in a cell in Lokoja after he absconded from duty for two days and was later found drunk.
According to reports, Atobiloye, with service number 232980, was posted for a special duty called Quick Intervention at the Zone 8 Command for a month. He however absconded from duty for two days after he resumed in Lokoja.
As punishment for absconding from duty, he was detained in a cell but later found dead in the cell.
The spokesperson for the Zone 8 Command, Ruth Awi, who confirmed the development, said Atobiloye, after reporting for special duty at the command, absconded from duty and was nowhere to be found for two days until policemen found him drunk.
According to her, the cop was detained for him to get sober, adding that he died in custody.
She said, “He was not detained at the Zonal Headquarters, he was detained at the D Division in Lokoja. He reported at the Zonal Headquarters and then disappeared into thin air; there are punishments for people who abscond from duty without any excuse. But in his case, he did not only stay away from work, he was drunk when he was found.
“For the effect of the drink to be cleared, the boss said he should stay in the cell for two days until he is fit for interrogation to explain where he went to and where he was coming from. So, he was detained at the D Division for about two or three days after which the news came to us that he gave up.”