Soldiers involved in the gruesome murder of a car dealer, Adeyinka Adekunle, at the Army Barracks, Ibodi, Osun State, has been arrested.
They were arrested by the Osun State Police Command on Monday according to the military police from Ibadan, Oyo State.
He died after he was allegedly tortured by soldiers from the Ibodi Barracks on the orders of one Lt. Tobi Akindapo.
It was gathered that the 37year-old deceased and his friend, Solomon Ogundare, had gone to a relaxation spot in the Imo area of Ilesha on March 24.
It was learnt further that a disagreement broke out shortly after three soldiers, who were in mufti, begged the friends for drinks and they refused.
Sources alleged that as soon as the altercation degenerated to a fracas, one of the military officers phoned the Ibodi barracks and soldiers stormed the area.
It was gathered that the deceased escaped from the scene, while his friend was caught and taken to the barracks.
He was caught by the soldiers the following day when he went to the barracks in the company of his friend’s sister, Elizabeth Itunu, to secure the release of his vehicle and Ogundare.
Itunu said the soldiers tortured Adeyinka and Ogundare in her presence while she was at the barracks with the deceased to secure his brother’s release.
She added that despite pleas for the men to be released, the military men refused and demanded N500,000 for the release of Adeyinka’s car which they towed to the barracks after he escaped from the scene.
They were kept in the guardroom that night.
Itunu said when she returned to the barracks the following day, she met the friends cutting grass, as the soldiers whipped and kicked them.
According to her,”I observed that Adeyinka was very weak. He suddenly fell. They thought he was pretending and they started hitting him. When they saw that he was not moving, they checked his body and their boss said he should be rushed to a hospital.
She explained that her brother was put in a military truck, adding that she later heard that the car dealer died before he got to a hospital.
“At that point, I became afraid as I saw that my brother was not breathing well. Their commander asked us to take my brother to a hospital as well.
“My brother later told me that while he and Adeyinka were in the guardroom, he (Adeyinka) vomited. The soldiers then ordered him to start eating his vomit,” she added.
