TheCable

Suleiman Yerima, a businessman and foreign exchange dealer remanded in Kirikiri prison custody following an ongoing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been reported dead.

Yerima was said to have died last Friday during the end of Ramadan fasting prayers on the Muslim praying ground in Kirikiri prison, Lagos.

Officials told PRNigeria, an organisation that releases statements for security agencies, that the businessman suddenly slumped while prayers were ongoing.

He was subsequently rushed to the medical facility by prisons officials and the visiting clerics but was later pronounced dead.

Although result of the autopsy on the corpse was still being awaited, Yerima is suspected to have died of natural causes, as preliminary examinations showed that he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, which led to his slumping during the prayers.

Yerima was arrested in March following a petition against him by Denis Ale and Gladys Aginwa.

He was alleged to have involved in fraudulent activities.

In June, the deceased sought the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he had been unlawfully detained.