FAMILY DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR KILLING OF 28-YEAR OLD ARTISAN BY MOBILE POLICEMEN IN LAGOS
 |
| Slain Wale Erinfolami (l), Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba (r). |
The
mayhem visited on parts of Ikorodu town, a Lagos suburb a month ago by a
detachment of 15 armed mobile policemen in which a 28-year old artisan was
felled by their bullets, has continued to generate anger and anguish.
A community leader and head
of the Sanmolu Royal Family of Ikorodu, Otunba Gbenga Erikitiola Kuti while
recalling what happened on the fateful day, said they woke up on that black
morning at about 7am to behold a detachment of fierce looking, fully armed 15
mobile police officers storm a parcel of land popularly known as NITEL Estate,
which is in contention between two parties. He said they were told the mobile
policemen were drafted to the site by their opponent, the Regun Family, who had
been doing everything to forcefully take over every inch of the land. Before a
twinkle of an eye, according to him, the mobile policemen began to shoot
sporadically at anything at sight unmindful of the professional rules of
engagement of the Police.
“Pandemonium ensued, everybody
scampered for their dear lives and when the dust eventually settled, scores of
people were severely injured and one person lay dead in his pool of blood. He
is a 28 year Adewale Erinfolami, an artisan (a welder) who had gone out that
day to eke a legitimate living,” Otunba Kuti narrated.
Otunba Gbenga Kuti said
they were able to find out that the police officers that stormed the disputed
land were drafted from MOPOL 4 in Ibadan on an illegal operation. Continuing he
said when they saw that one of them had shot someone dead, they took to their
hills. But luck ran out on them as one of them missed his way and hid in the
thicket in the vicinity. “It was our security man that saw him in
his hiding place, and we apprehended him and handed him over to the
authorities.” He added.
When our correspondents
visited the scene of the ugly incident, they reported the vestiges of the
mayhem, with scores of houses riddled with bullet holes, building blocks
shattered by gun shots apparently at close range and many building fences
dotted by bullet holes. They also reported angry and restive youths gathering
in groups discussing in hushed tones, ostensibly spoiling for action.
“When we spoke with them,
they expressed their displeasure the manner the investigations were being
carried out by the Police. They accuse the Police of being opaque in their
dealings and biased in the caliber of people they have been inviting for
interrogation since the unfortunate incident happened,” our correspondents
reported.
READALSO: HOTEL THAT OFFERS ROOMS TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE (VIDEO)
Lekan Talabi, one of the youth leaders who spoke on behalf of the
youths said they are aware that about 15 MOPOL officers carried out the
operation with only one of them being held by to the police authorities. “What
happened to the remaining 14 of them? Have they been arrested and why did they
have to take the matter to Abuja when Panti can competently handle it?” He
fumed. To him, it amounts to an attempt to pull the wool over their
faces and cover up the mess with bureaucratic processes.
Continuing, Lekan said the
Police have been selective in who they should arrest and who they should invite
for interrogation, stressing that it was the small fries they were
concentrating their efforts on while the notable kingpins with deep pockets
have compromised the police.
He stated further, “Why
have they not arrested or invited Mr. Sharafa Dada, a.k.a Sharon, who everybody
in Ikorodu knows was the mastermind behind the mobilization of the MOPOL and
thugs to the site? Up till this moment, Sharon is still walking the streets a
free man, boasting that he’s untouchable when late Wale, the poor guy who he
brought the MOPOL to kill, is laying stone cold in the mortuary?”
Another youth in the area,
Kunbi Solaja, hinted that there was news making the rounds in town that the
Policeman who was caught on the fateful day and handed over to the police has
been released. “This is very unfortunate,” he lamented. “If the policeman is
still in their custody and they want to disprove our allegations, let them
parade him and the other 14 policemen for all of us to see,” Kunbi challenged
the Police.
In an interview with our
correspondent in his office in Ikorodu, Otunba Kuti said justice must be done
by prosecuting the police officer known as Sikiru, who was said to have shot
Adewale at close range. Speaking further, Otunba Kuti said it was regrettable
the way the Police was treating this very sensitive murder case as if they were
dealing with some breaking and entry case. He was particularly irked by the way
the Police have chosen to detain the corpse of the late Wale Erifolami for over
one month without giving access to his wife or family members to see his
remains as if he was an armed robber or the accused in the matter.
“As we speak, the corpse of
Wale is being detained by the police in the Ikorodu General Hospital’s mortuary,”
Otunba said. He added that all efforts to make the police release Wale’s corpse
have been severally rebuffed, fuelling speculations of complicity on the part
of the police, particularly as Sikiru, who was alleged to have fired the bullet
that killed Wale was rumoured to have been released from detention.
Otunba Kuti, also narrating
a previous similar even, said there was a time the former head of his family,
Alhaji Lawal was nearly kidnapped at about 5.30 in the morning by mobile
policemen. “They came with an unmarked vehicle, they were in mufti. Alhaji Lawa
was going to his mosque for the early Morning Prayer when he was accosted. He
raised the alarm which drew a crowd to the scene. The policemen said they were
deployed from Abuja to effect his arrest. But we found that quite improper.
There was not warrant of arrest, and he was not told why he was being arrested.
And why would a team of mobile policemen be ordered to arrest someone with no
criminal records at 5.30 in the morning? Why would you ambush a man
in the manner in his neighbourhood?” Otunba Kuti wondered.
READ
ALSO: FOR BITING HIM FIRST, ANGRY MAN BITES OFF SNAKE'S
HEAD
Confessional statements by
some hoodlums who were said to have aided the mobile policemen, fingered
Sharafa (aka Sharon), the Secretary to the Regun family, as responsible for
inviting the policemen to the scene of the violence. Otunba Kuti wondered why
the police were refusing to have him arrested for questioning.
When our correspondent had
a telephone chat with him, Sharafa Dada boasted that the disputed land belongs
to his family and that any means they may deem necessary to take possession of
the 148 acres of land would be welcome. He maintained that his family possessed
the relevant documents to back his claims of ownership.
Meanwhile, the widow of
Wale, Mrs. Bukola Erinfolarin, who also spoke to our correspondent amidst
tears, said she was yet to understand why the police authorities were keeping
the corpse of her husband and denying her and the family access to him.
On how her husband died,
she narrated, “I never had any hunch of bad omen hanging over my husband as he
left home that fateful morning, full of life. He even promised to buy the
children some things on his way back. It was about a few hours later that
someone rushed to call me that my husband had been shot and that he was dead. I
raced to the place but was unable to see his corpse. All I could see was a pool
of his blood, without my husband."
Efforts to see and speak with the DPO of Odogunyan Police Station
in Ikorodu have yielded no success as policemen on duty were non cooperative
with our reporter.
Barring any last minutes
adjournment, the case regarding the disputed land comes up on 16th April at the
High Court in Lagos.
Post a Comment