The Ogun state Police Command has said the late vice captain of Remo Stars Football Club, Tiyamiyu Kazeem was killed by a hit and run driver when he tried to escape after he was arrested for a wearing a military cap.
The spokesman of the State Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi while reacting to the news of killing of Kazeem on Saturday said that contrary to insinuations that the footballer was arrested by operative of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), before the incident, the deceased was arrested by an inspector attached to the Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS), Obada.
“Somebody gave the policeman an information that the deceased usually put on military wears and often oppressed people with it. He saw the boy wearing military cap and he arrested him and took him into his vehicle.
“On their way to Abeokuta, his vehicle developed mechanical fault. He (policeman) parked and tried to rectify it. In the process, the suspect who was not handcuffed, jumped out of the vehicle and took to his heels. While crossing the road, an oncoming vehicle crushed him to death along the expressway. The vehicle did not stop” he said.
However, the management of the Club in their own account said the deceased was arrested on suspicion of being a ‘Yahoo’ boy by SARS operatives. In a statement by the club they said, “The incident occurred this afternoon (Saturday) in Sagamu while he was driving along Sagamu area of Ogun State with one of his teammates, Sanni Abubakar. According to an eyewitness, he claimed that the SARS officer stopped the footballer to label him a Yahoo Boy and they insisted on taking him to the nearby police station.
“’The SARS officer stopped Tiyamiyu Kazeem insisting that he was a Yahoo Boy, he brought out his identity (ID) card to identify himself as a player of Remo Stars FC but the officer insisted on taking him to the nearest police station in Sagamu.’
“’Tiyamiyu and Sanni obliged, followed the SARS officers, only for them to notice that they were driving towards Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway, then the guys questioned to know were the SARS officers were taking them to,but this prompted them to stop the car and push him (Tiyamiyu) out of the car, whereby an unknowing vehicle knocked him down.’
“He was immediately rushed to Fakoya Hospital in Sagamu, where it was confirmed that Tiyamiyu Kazeem was no more.Until his death, he was a humble and reliable defender for Remo Stars FC in the ongoing 2019/2020 Nigeria National League (NNL).
