Ismail Lasisi and Lukman Adeyemi, who spent 24 years in prison for a ritual killing they knew nothing about, have received over N1 million in donations from well-meaning Nigerians.
The two men were arrested in 2000, coerced into confessing under torture, and sentenced to death in 2009. They were miraculously released on June 12, 2024.
Their harrowing experience was shared in an emotional interview with The Punch, where they recounted being tortured to the point of death and forced to falsely confess to the crime.
Adeyemi, who had housed Lasisi after a fallout with the prime suspects, was arrested with his friend when they visited a police station in Oyo State, following police inquiries about Lasisi.
“In August 2000, after returning home from work with a friend living with me, Ismaila Lasisi, we were told that the Police came to look for Ismaila and he was asked to report himself to the station.
“I immediately decided to follow him to the station, lo and behold I was arrested and detained along with him. I was tortured to the point of death over a crime I knew nothing about, right from the police station. I had a close shave with death over the murder of a woman who was hired by some ex-friends of Ismaila Lasisi to fetch water for them at the construction site. The woman left home in the morning and she never returned home
Narrating his own side of the story Lasisi said my friend, Lukman, decided to follow me to the police station to prove my innocence, “When we got there, the police detained us. Three days later, some SARS operatives from Abeokuta came to meet us,” Adeyemi chorused.
Lasisi added, “They battered and tied me up like an Ileya festival ram. They placed an iron on my chest and I was in distress. They beat me mercilessly from 4pm to 7pm.
They took turns to beat me. I only survived by God’s grace because I could have died
Lasisi described how, after being untied but unable to move, he was carried to another room by an unknown person. He was unable to speak and could only stand up four days later, though the interrogation continued.
“Later that night, they untied me but I couldn’t move. I was motionless and an unrecognized person carried me to another room. I could no longer talk. I was able to stand up four days later but the interrogation continued.”
Under intense torture, Lasisi and Adeyemi were forced to falsely confess to the crime to end the brutality, but this only led to their death sentence.
Continuing the story, Adeyemi said, “They tortured someone beside me to death and showed me his corpse, We learnt that the person was also innocent but they tortured him to death.” Lasisi added, “They promised to stop the torture if I confessed to the murder and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I lied against myself to prevent further torture.”
Adeyemi also confessed to the crime he had no part in, due to the relentless torture. “When they wouldn’t stop torturing me, I lied against myself that I was involved in the murder.”
The Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) facilitated their exoneration.
After seeking assistance to rebuild their lives, Lasisi’s account details were shared on social media, and within hours, they received donations totaling over N1 million. The donations will help them start anew after their wrongful imprisonment.
Their story highlights the need for justice reform and the importance of supporting those who have been wrongfully accused and imprisoned.
