A man identified as Fanen Kpenteman has reportedly died in Police custody in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The deceased’s bank account was allegedly hacked by unknown persons, who used it to scam a Hausa trader at Market in Makurdi.
Mr Ukan Kurugh, a rights activist who reported the incident on his official facebook page, said when the trader traced the account used to defraud her, she found the picture of the deceased and assumed he was the criminal.
“She alerted/reported it to the Zone 4 Police Station, who came to his (deceased) workplace and picked him up and then handed him over to OPERATION ZENDA since Friday.
“From that moment, no one was allowed to see or speak to him.
“His family and friends were shut out completely.
“Then the worst happened, news broke that he had died in police custody, tortured to death for a crime he knew nothing about,” Kurugh said.
The activist said the incident is not a tragic mistake but a case of murder by the police.
Insisting that it is also a case of injustice and gross abuse of power by the police, he said, “And let me be clear, this is going to be a serious case between me and the men of the Nigeria Police Force, Benue State Command.”
The spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP, Udeme Edet, could not be reached to confirm the incident as calls to her mobile telephone were not answered.
Benue: Man arrested over fraud case dies in police custody