Tragic story of death of Rahman: Family cries out as Oladiti is arraigned in court …NBA observes proceeding

The premises of the Ebute Meta Magistrate Court in Lagos was packed full by brothers,, sisters, colleagues, friends and well wishers of the late Imam Rahman whose life was sniffed out untimely by a fellow human being in broad daylight.

Rahman who died from injuries he sustained from blows and repeated hitting with planks, left a young wife and a four- year old daughter behind. No wonder the entire court premises was overwhelmed with wailing, lamentations, curses, adrenaline puffed to an unbearable crescendo as the people swore to year the assailant to pieces if given the chance. They surged towards the court room but the were restrained by uniform men and women who were armed to the teeth.

Narrating what transpired leading to the demise of the young man, Rahman, a man who spoke on condition of anonymity, but a close friend of the diseased said, “While Shamusideen Oladiti beat our brother, people were intervening, but he didn’t listen until he beat him to his satisfaction before he listened to the people, even at that Rahman was still pleading. Ever since that day he beat our brother, our brother was frequenting the hospital. Whenever headache from the beating came, he would start crying. On the day he died, he was rushed to the hospital as a result of this same headache. We were making arrangements to transfer him to another hospital because I am sure the hospital knew he was not going to make it, that same day this Oladiti beat another person a dispatch Rider, to coma, so he is like that.

“This man is a terror to the people in the neighborhood, but what affects us is the death of this our younger brother, he just sniffed life out of the young man.So sad, an avoidable death. Rahman has a wife and a female kid, four or five years old. He was a very responsible young man, so for his life to be sniffed out just like that is saddening. And that is why we are here to demand justice for our brother,” he said.

According to Razaq Afis, “On the 27th of August, our friend and brother, Rahman entered Keke from Sancros to where he could get stuff for his work, so he was inside the Kekenapep when these NURTW boys stopped the Keke he was inside, he now told the Keke driver, since they are holding you can you please refund me my money or transload me to another Keke. Few minutes later Mr Shamusideen Oladiti crossed over and said hello, what are you doing there, he said he wants his money back, he dragged him, beat him even with planks on his head, which we have the video evidence. So ever since, he fell sick, on 17th of September he was rushed to the General Hospital on the Island where they got to know that there was a lot of blood in his brain, which eventually led to his death. The same fateful day, Mr Shamusideen assaulted a Dispatch Rider, Omale Samuel, he beat him to pulp. So it is something he has been doing for so long. We just want Justice for our brother.

“We need the support of the Nigerian police, we need the support of the Lagos State CP, the Inspector General of Police, Lagos State House of Assembly, our able Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the human rights activists. just to help us out.”

John Utman in company of Demilari Douglas, members of the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Human Rights Committee, addressed the press. “We have been briefed by the family of … Rahman, we are here to watch the brief on this matter, the defendant was arraigned, the charge was read, and he pleaded not guilty, his lawyer applied for bail, but the court requested for a case file having reviewed the case file the court saw and found out that a prima facie case has been established against the defendant.

“And in line with the ACNL the court remanded him for a period of 30 days. So the next court sitting on the case will be on the 28th of October, 2025, while we wait for DPP advice. If DPP advice comes before 28 October, the case will go to the High Court, but if it does not come before that date we will come back here for a possible extension of the remand, so that is the status of the case as of today.

“So the family can be rest assured that the NBA Lagos Branch will not abandon them, the NBA is standing solidly behind them, and we assure them that justice will be done,” he said.