VANGUARD
In 2013, the herbal medicine practitioner was arrested by the Police along with others over allegation of cultism. He was severely tortured and dumped in the Police cell for months until he was arraigned before the State High Court.
Although Shittu was granted bail then, he has spent over 10 years at Ijebu Ode Correction Centre because he has not been able to meet the N500, 000 and two sureties condition for his bail.
During the course of his incarceration, Shittu lost his pregnant wife in an accident on her way to visit him. His only son who was just 3 years old when he was arrested, is now being cared for by his late wife’s sister.
In this edition, Shittu who despite the weighty allegation against him insists that he is innocent, shares with Encounter his ordeal in prison, his quest for speedy trial and justice and appeals for help to meet his bail conditions.
Background
My name is Samuel Shittu. I reside in Shagamu, Ogun state but I am a native of Igboora, in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State.
My father is from Igbole in Ibarapa while my mother is from Ipapo. I am a herbal medicine practitioner; I learnt the work from my father. I was born on August 10, 1988.
My mother died in 1996 while my father died in 2011.
Strange Arrest
On the night of October 19, 2013, I was in my bedroom sleeping with my wife and our three-year-old son, when I heard a knock on my door around 1am. The Police had broken the main entrance door of our compound and were breaking into every room.
They ordered all of us in that house to come out. I thought they were armed robbers because they were not in Police uniform. Four of us were eventually arrested in that house and were taken to the Gbobi Police Station, Shagamu, Ogun State.
It was not until we got to the station that I got to know that they were Policemen working with members of Odua Peoples’ Congress, OPC.
Torture
At Shagamu Police station, I was tortured with broken bottles and the flats of cutlass.
The Police officer who tortured me was drinking Chelsea dry gin as he was beating me with the flat cutlass.
