Mr. Rotimi Akinde, the father of a 20-year-old boy, Bidemi Akinde, has accused one ASP Afolabi, aka Jagaban,
attached to the Sango-Ota Police Area Command, Ogun State, of leading
some hoodlums, who are notorious for unlawful possession of parcels of
land, to kill his son.
Bidemi, an apprentice barber, was
reportedly shot dead in the Oke-Ore, Atan-Ota area of the state by one
Segun said to be one of the hoodlums loyal to one Alhaji Owoeye.
Bidemi’s father said his son’s freedom
was around the corner when he was killed by the bandits allegedly
accompanied by Afolabi-led team, who invaded the community around 10pm
on Wednesday, August 19.
According to PUNCH Metro learnt that Owoeye,
his thugs and the policemen fled the area after Bidemi, who was coming
from a canteen, was felled by the bullets from the gun of one of the
hoodlums.
Our correspondent gathered that the
thugs had stormed the community on the fateful day, shooting
indiscriminately while they pasted notice to quit on houses in the
neighbourhood.
It was learnt that Owoeye was arrested later that day by some soldiers, who handed him over to the police.
Speaking with them, the
deceased’s father, Rotimi, said he wanted ASP Afolabi and others
allegedly involved in the killing of his son to be brought to book.
He said, “It was Owoeye who hired the
policemen, led by Supol Afolabi, from the Area Command to follow him and
other land grabbers to our community. He is their chairman in the
Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area.
“Afolabi had called a landlady because
of the notice pasted on her house. It was shortly after then that people
rushed to tell me that Bidemi had been shot dead. How can a police
officer be leading thugs to victimise residents? Owoeye is not an
indigene of our community.
“I learnt that he had been arraigned in
court. I urge the state judiciary not to compromise. The officer and
other land grabbers at large should also be brought to book.
Bidemi’s mother, Sarah, also urged police authorities and the government to ensure that justice was done in the case.
She said, “Bidemi’s death has left a
huge gap in my heart. He was obedient, gentle and respectful. He
finished his secondary school education two years ago and had been
disturbing me that he wanted to further his studies. I pleaded with him
to complete his vocation first because we didn’t have the means yet.
“His boss certified him some months ago and we were already planning for his freedom when these heartless people killed him.”
Bidemi’s boss, Olugbenga Omoleye, described him as hardworking and intelligent.
He said, “I am still battling with the
fact that he is gone. I had left the shop under his care that morning
and went to Owode with a friend. Soon after I got there, I learnt Owoeye
and his boys had started their trouble again and I called him on the
telephone to shut the shop and go home. A few minutes later, I was
called that he was dead.”
A landlord in the area, who did not want
his name in print, said the suspect and his cohorts had used policemen
to oppress them for years.
He said, “I was taking my son to an
Islamic class that day when I saw them and policemen trooping into the
community. We had to hide somewhere. It was Segun who shot that boy.
Another resident, who identified himself
only as Olayinka, said Owoeye was terrorising the owner of a building
under construction when he was arrested.
“At a site in Atan, where he was
arrested, he was asking the owner to pay N500,000 to permit the
foundation of the building. The man was begging him to collect N250,000,
but he refused. It was in the process that soldiers stormed there and
arrested him,” he said.
The Ogun State police spokesperson, DSP
Muyiwa Adejobi, denied that the police assisted the hoodlums to
perpetrate the attack. He said the police had escorted some bailiffs to
the community to execute a court order.
He said, “A man got a court order on
some landed property. The police went with the bailiff to the community
to serve; the court order.
The policemen and the bailiffs had left the
place before the hoodlums came. It is not true that policemen led the
hoodlums there.
The ASP was there officially to do what the law says he should do.”
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