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His is a typical case of friendship gone awry. An only child of his mother neglected by his father in a polygamous family of four wives and 12 children, Ismaila Lasisi felt like he had struck gold when he met Alfa Ganiyu Lawal while hustling for survival. But the friendship they struck became his undoing as it literally put his life in ruins.

He had no inkling of the character he had bonded with until his friend and one other named Ganiyu Semiyu approached him with an evil proposal: sacrifice a human being for money rituals. Lasisi was not comfortable with the proposal but he could not say no for fear that Lawal and Semiyu could harm him if he did not cooperate with them.

Then then 28-year-old, now 52, did what he thought was the smart thing to do by keeping a distance with the duo, but that in itself became an offence for which they implicated him when they were arrested over the killing of a woman for money rituals. The distraught indigene of Abeokuta, Ogun State narrates to TOBA ADEDEJI the extraordinary circumstances that culminated in him and his then 30 but now 54-year-old innocent friend, Lukman Adeyemi, who merely accompanied him to the police station when they learnt that the police were looking for him, languishing in jail and awaiting execution for 24 years before a charity organization, the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) founded by Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi, intervened in his matter and secured his release on June 14.

“It was on the day we were released that rain fell on me for the first time in 24 years. I saw the beautiful moon and the sunshine again and I cherished them. June 14, 2024 is a day I will never forget in my life,” he said. Excerpt:

What is your name and whatwas your childhood like?

I am Ismaila Lasisi, a native of Abeokuta, Ogun State. My mother hailed from Shaki in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State. I am the only son of my mother in a polygamous family of 12 children from four women. When I was seven, my mother left me with my father and later remarried before she died.

Growing up in a polygamous household, I lacked the needed support due to neglect from my father. So I turned to trading, dealing in pepper and raw beans in Ifo, Ogun State. It was there that I became friends with one Alfa Ganiyu Lawal and we became close. I often spent weekends with him and Ganiyu Semiyu, his friend with whom he shared the same name.

Over time, I developed an interest in bricklaying and eventually moved in with them. Seeking companionship as a lonely individual, I found comfort in their company. My friendship with Alfa Ganiyu had lasted about six months before the unfortunate incident.

What actually happened?

In February 2000, Semiyu came up with the idea that we should engage in money-making ritual. He also said they had found someone who could help them in this venture. He was the first to bring up the topic of ritual money to me. I felt uneasy with the idea, but I pretended that everything was fine.

Subsequently, we took an oath to keep it a secret. They asked me to contribute money for the ritual, and at that moment, I realised I was in the wrong company. I asked who was going to be used as sacrifice for the ritual and they responded that that had not been determined yet. Various thoughts began to trouble my mind, and I asked myself what if they decided to use me as the sacrifice? Who would come looking for me without any sibling, parent or mother who knew my whereabouts? I felt lost and considered abandoning the friendship.

Did you?

Yes. In March 2000, a situation arose where one of Ganiyu’s girlfriends stole money from their place, and I was wrongly accused of stealing it. A heated argument ensued and I decided to seek refuge elsewhere. Along the way, I met Lukman Adeyemi and asked him to help accommodate me until I could find my own place. I informed him about the conflict I had with the people I was living with but I did not disclose their plan for money rituals. I had known him through a childhood friend named Ismaila with whom I had grown up in Shaki, my mother’s hometown.

He welcomed me into his home, and since March 2000, I was been living peacefully with him and we worked together as bricklayers until August 27, 2000.

So when were you arrested and why?

On August 27, 2000, at about 7:00 pm, on returning from work, we were informed by a co-tenant that the police came looking for me. I immediately went to the police station and Lukman accompanied me to the place. On getting there, we were told that the police officer who had come looking for me was not around, and I was asked to come back the following day.

The next morning, we both went to the police station and surprisingly, we were detained. I had no clue of the unfolding events or why they were looking for me. When the SARS officers, led by one Bashiru and Agboola, arrived and identified me as the Ismaila Lasisi they were looking for, they descended on us like hungry tigers and subjected us to severe beating.

The following day, we were transferred to Eleweran Police Station in Abeokuta, where I was confronted by Ganiyu and Semiyu, who accused me of being involved in the murder of a woman they committed for the ritual. I was shocked and rendered speechless. The SARS police again subjected me and Lukman to brutal treatment. I was hung in a torture room for hours and I had to endure unimaginable pains. My nerves were like they were going to cut. It was the worst day of my life. It was a day sweat mingled with blood.

The physical and emotional torture left me deformed and I lay on the ground for nearly five days before I could regain consciousness. Lukman and I were arrested on August 28 while Ganiyu and Semiyu were apprehended on July 20. We were remanded in prison on Friday, September 29, 2000. It took nearly two years for me and Lukman to have a conversation with Ganiyu and Semiyu to understand why we were falsely implicated in the case, because we were not held in the same cell.

And what did they say was their reason(s) for implicating you?

They said they felt I was the one who divulged the information to the police because I was the only one they had told about the mission. They also said they believed I must have told Lukman about it. I yelled at them and reminded that they did not even have a victim yet at the time they proposed the idea to me. How then would I know that you had committed the crime? I had heard the rumour about a missing woman, but I never knew the woman who was declared missing and it never occurred to me that they were connected with the missing woman. I had left the company of Ganiyu since March while the woman was declared missing in July. The arrest of Lukman and myself was on 28th August. I never knew anything about the woman, and it never occurred to me that her death could be linked to Ganiyu and Semiyu.

Ganiyu became the Alfa while in prison as he became the leading imam of the inmates at a time. I forgave them completely. I used to guide Alfa Ganiyu to the mosque because he became blind in prison and we became friends again. Despite all the torture I received from the SARS Police, it is belated to say I have forgiven them as one of them, Bashiru, has died. He was supposed to come as a witness in this case, and I was shocked when Adeagbo told the court of his death.

Did your parents pay you any visit while you were in prison?

I sent for my father to come and see me but he refused. My mother came twice to see me before I later learnt that she had passed away. I strongly believe that she died because of my predicament. How would you feel if you had only one child and that child is in prison? Can you survive the agony? I felt so bad at times and asked myself why my father brought me into this world when he knew he had no resources to cater for me.

While in prison, I forgave myself and my father. I forgave Ganiyu and Semiyu. At one point, I was sending money to my father from prison through the welfare officer, and he used to pray for me on the phone, telling me that I would survive it. I cried and cried when I heard the bad news of my father’s death. My father had 12 children from four women.

What was the intervention that came for for your release?

It was a ray of hope shining on us the day the Deputy Superintendent of Correctional (DSC) Alhaji AbdulHakeem Awesu, the welfare officer of Ibara Correctional, linked us with the founder of the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR), Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi on the phone to explain ourselves to him. Like play, the man came to see us in Abeokuta in July, 2023 and we explained everything to him. The real perpetrators of the crime who had implicated us also begged him to try and look for ways to exonerate us. We all put our appeal to the Governor of Ogun State into writing through the organisation and we sent it to his office.

The truth is many people had come to listen to our story but we never saw them again. We had written several letters to the governor through the welfare department without results. But when Pastor Olujobi and his team came to us, they promised to take a step. We had been hearing about how CJMR had helped many inmates on death row but we never gave it a thought to approach them until when the welfare department helped to link us with them.

How would you describe your experience on death row?

On the first day I entered the death row cell, it was pitch black. I could not see anyone for about one hour, but they could see me. One of the inmates stood up and guided me to my designated spot. It was tormented daily, but I tried to stay positive. When it was night, they asked about the events that led to my conviction.

After nine years of awaiting trial, all hope seemed lost. For a whole week, I could not eat. Not because I was fasting but because hunger seemed to have disappeared. It took nearly six months before I could adjust to life on death row. The death row is a different world, where you spend your days in darkness. In our cell, there were seven of us crammed into a very small space. One of the inmates who welcomed me was one Sunday, also known as Sunday Chicken. Over the years, some of the people I met were released while others passed away due to illness.

During my 15 years on death row, there were no executions. We heard rumours about the government considering revisiting executions, which would send panic through us. The tension peaked when Oshiomole executed some inmates in Edo State, but the rumour eventually faded and the tension dissipated. Despite the uncertainty, we all on the death row remained cooperative with the prison authorities.

Throughout my time in prison, I held onto hope until the day the prison doors finally opened for me. The daily advice and sermons from both Muslim and Christian leaders helped me to stay strong. It was on the day we were released that rain fell on me for the first time. I also saw sunshine and the beautiful moon for the first time. It is a day I will never forget in my life

How did they receive you at home?

Upon regaining my freedom, my immediate desire was to return home. I travelled to Mowe to celebrate Sallah with my younger brother, who is an Imam. Following the festivities, we journeyed to my hometown in Abeokuta the next Monday. My unexpected arrival at the family house elicited mixed reactions, with some displaying evident displeasure.

As I recounted my story of innocence, one of my younger sisters accused me of lying, claiming she had heard about the incident at the time it occurred and knew the truth. It became clear that not everyone believed I was innocent. Realising that there was no future for me in my father’s house, I returned to the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation. I am grateful to Pastor Olujobi for foreseeing the potential challenges at home and offering me a welcoming return if needed.

What is your next plan?

My aspiration is to resume buying and selling. I aim to settle down, rent a house, marry a virtuous woman, raise children and contribute to societal development. With no parents, Pastor and the CJMR have become my pillars of support. During my time in prison, I acquired skills in cloth tie and dye and graduated from a Quranic school. I attribute my journey to the complete mercy I have received from God. I commend Governor Dapo Abiodun for the remarkable transformation of the state, evident in the improved infrastructure such as expressways, street lights, and pedestrian bridges.

Why their release could not be secured for 24 years – CJMR founder

The founder of Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR), Hezekiah Olujobi, speaks with TOBA ADEDEJI.

HOW did you get to know about the predicaments of Ismaila Lasisi and Lukman Adeyemi?

Our attention was drawn to their complaints and claim of innocence by the Welfare Officer DSC Awesu, who invited us to come and help them, assuring us on their innocence and the efforts made through the legal process without justice. We went down to Ibara Custodial Centre, Abeokuta to hear from them.

The two perpetrators of the crime confided in us that they were actually the ones who committed the crime and that the other two were totally innocent of the crime. We obtained their judgments from the trial court to the Supreme Court for review, and we noticed that the presentation of the state before the appellate court could never allow the court to shift ground.

Each of them filed separate appeals to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court. We realised that none of the lawyers explored the way of arrest of each person in this case. This is what the lawyer at the trial court should have done, but very unfortunately, he couldn’t. Failure of the perpetrators to clear them of the innocence of the crime could not have helped them at that time.

Was that your first intervention in such cases?

The case of Ismaila Lasisi and Lukman Adeyemi was not the first victory. CJMR has helped more than 20 people to secure their freedom from wrongful conviction. This particular case makes it the 22nd.

Police evidence is considered sacred before the temple of justice but very unfortunate not all police evidence before the court is true and reliable. Some of them tell lies. Our judges are not perfect. They also have their flaws. That is why there is room for appeal.

What challenges did you face during your humanitarian service?

Our major concern now is how to make the future of this individual possible and how to make justice available to others who are still crying persistently on the claim of innocence of the crime they are suffering from.

Funding is key. That is why I am urging Nigerians to support us through the following Zenith Bank account number: 1012189729. I can be reached via 08030488093. The gesture will make victory possible for others in Lasisi and Adeyemi’s conditions.