A 50-year-old politician, Mrs. Ronke Adelugba, has been allegedly beaten to death in her home in Akure, the Ondo State capital, by the policemen attached to the Ala Division.
Sources said the deceased was the Woman Leader of the Accord at Ward five in Akure South Local Government.
She was allegedly hit with a gun and beaten up by two of the seven policemen, who invaded her home, after a disagreement.
The policemen reportedly came in a white police hilux van registered as NPF 4236 B.
They were said to have stormed No. 1, Akinyemi Street, off Ijoka Road, Akure, after searching a nearby bush for boys suspected to be Indian hemp smokers.
The sources said when the policemen did not see anybody in the bush, they headed for Mrs. Adelugba’s home in search of the suspected hoodlums.
It was learnt that an argument ensued with the deceased, who insisted that only her children were in the three-bedroom apartment.
According to the sources, the woman said she would not allow her children to be arrested without any explanation or warrant.
The deceased, it was gathered, was beaten up with the gun and she slumped and died.
The eye witnesses said the policemen were fond of raiding bars and ‘drinking joints’ at weekends to arrest young boys, who would later be asked to bail themselves with money ranging from N5,000 to N10,000 without being charged with any offence.
It was learnt that the policemen, after allegedly killing the woman, fled. Neighbours later carried her body to Ala Police Station.
The policemen took the body to the State Specialist Hospital morgue.
One of the deceased’s children, who identified himself as Henry, told reporters that his mother had no history of illness and had never been hospitalised.
He said she only asked one question from the leader of the policemen before she was beaten up by the other two. One hit her in the head with a baton and the other hit her with a gun.
Police spokesman Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the woman panted and died after the policemen left the house.
He claimed she was not killed by the policemen as alleged by the family.
Ogodo said an autopsy would be carried out on the deceased, adding that they had begun investigation to unravel the cause of her death.