N8,000 Debt Dispute: Charge Sheet Raises Questions Over Oyo Police Account After Student’s Death

N8,000 Debt Dispute: Charge Sheet Raises Questions Over Oyo Police Account After Student’s Death

A fresh controversy has emerged over the circumstances surrounding the arrest, prosecution and subsequent death of Al-Amin Mohammed, a 30-year-old student and aluminium worker who died three days after his release from the Agodi Custodial Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The controversy centres on an alleged N8,000 debt dispute involving Mohammed and a female Point-of-Sale (POS) operator, as well as significant differences between the account given by the Oyo State Police Command and details contained in the charge sheet filed against him.

Mohammed died on September 17, 2026, after ingesting rat poison at his residence in Ibadan, according to his family. He had been released from custody on September 14 after his parents stood as sureties to perfect his bail.

His death followed a chain of events that began with a financial transaction involving N23,000 and eventually resulted in a police investigation, court proceedings and his detention at the Agodi Custodial Centre.

The police, however, have rejected the description of the case as an arrest and prosecution over an N8,000 debt.

In a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the police described reports that Mohammed was detained and charged to court because he could not repay N8,000 as “false, unfounded and misleading.”

The command said Mohammed was prosecuted for assault and malicious damage, alleging that he assaulted the female POS operator and damaged her Airtel SIM registration machine valued at N177,000.

According to the police account, Mohammed had collected N23,000 from the POS operator with the intention of transferring the same amount to her through a POS transaction but left without completing the transfer or returning the money.

The command said he later refunded N15,000, leaving an outstanding N8,000 balance.

The police said the POS operator subsequently took possession of Mohammed’s mobile phone pending repayment of the balance.

According to the command, instead of settling the outstanding amount, Mohammed went to the complainant’s residence at about 10pm on September 8, where he allegedly assaulted her and damaged the SIM registration machine.

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Community members reportedly intervened and attempted to settle the matter before Mohammed and the complainant were taken to the police station by vigilantes.

The police said officers heard both sides and made another effort to resolve the matter amicably, but the complainant insisted on pursuing the case in court.

The command therefore maintained that the criminal proceedings arose from the alleged assault and property damage, rather than the N8,000 outstanding balance.

However, a charge sheet obtained in the case has raised questions over parts of the police explanation.

The document, with charge number OY/CCGA/MAP/184C/26, shows that Mohammed was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Oyo State, Ibadan Magisterial District, on two counts.

Notably, assault does not appear as one of the two counts listed in the charge sheet, despite the police saying Mohammed was charged with assault and malicious damage.

More significantly, the N8,000 debt is expressly mentioned in the second count.

The charge sheet identifies the allegedly damaged property as an Android Itel phone valued at N177,000, rather than the Airtel SIM registration machine described in the police statement.

It also identifies Inspector Adeboye Olaide and Inspector Akinteye Muinat as the investigating police officers.

The discrepancy between the police statement and the court document has become a central issue in the controversy.

While the command says the N8,000 was merely an outstanding balance from an earlier financial transaction and not the basis of the criminal case, the charge sheet explicitly includes the amount.

There is also a difference over the property allegedly damaged: the police referred to an Airtel SIM registration machine, while the charge sheet refers to an Android Itel phone.

The family has separately disputed the police account of how the case began.

Mohammed’s mother, Simiat Mohammed, said her son went to recover his mobile phone after it was allegedly seized because of the unpaid N8,000.

According to her account, a confrontation followed, leading to a struggle. The family has denied that Mohammed deliberately damaged the POS operator’s property.

The family also alleged that they were asked to provide N100,000 for bail and another N70,000 for the alleged damage. These claims have not been independently established.

After his arraignment, Mohammed was granted bail of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum, according to reports. He remained at the Agodi Custodial Centre because he could not immediately satisfy the bail conditions.

His parents eventually stood as sureties, securing his release on September 14.

His mother said Mohammed appeared deeply distressed after returning home.

She reportedly told journalists that he became withdrawn, barely ate and repeatedly complained about the experience of being arrested, taken to court and detained.

Three days after his release, Mohammed ingested rat poison, according to his family.

The family said they rushed him to hospitals for treatment, but he later died.

His father, Habeeb Mohammed, has accused the police of misrepresenting what happened at the Sanyo Police Division and called for an investigation into the handling of the case.

The family also alleged that they pleaded with police officers to resolve the dispute without prosecution.

The police, however, have rejected any direct conclusion that Mohammed’s death was caused by his arrest, detention or prosecution.

The command said the circumstances surrounding his death should be established through an appropriate investigation and verified evidence rather than through assumptions.

The police also stressed that Mohammed’s continued detention at the Agodi Custodial Centre after arraignment was due to his inability to immediately fulfil the court-ordered bail conditions, rather than a police decision to hold him over the N8,000 debt.

The case has nevertheless raised broader questions about how a relatively small financial dispute escalated into police involvement, criminal proceedings and custodial detention.

It has also drawn attention to the need to establish exactly what offence Mohammed was charged with, what property was allegedly damaged and how the N8,000 debt featured in the proceedings.

The available accounts remain sharply divided.

The Oyo Police Command says the N8,000 was not the basis of the criminal charge and that Mohammed was prosecuted over alleged assault and malicious damage.

The family maintains that the matter stemmed from the debt dispute and that Mohammed’s subsequent detention and prosecution had a profound effect on him.

The charge sheet, meanwhile, provides documentary evidence that differs from important elements of the police explanation, particularly over the inclusion of the N8,000 and the identity of the allegedly damaged property.

An independent examination of the charge sheet, police case file, court proceedings, bail conditions and statements from the parties involved would be necessary to resolve the conflicting accounts.

Until such an investigation is completed, the circumstances surrounding Mohammed’s arrest, prosecution, detention and death remain subject to competing accounts, while the documentary discrepancies in the charge sheet warrant further clarification from the relevant authorities.

N8,000 Debt Dispute: Charge Sheet Raises Questions Over Oyo Police Account After Student’s Death