Husband slumps as vandals, OPC kill 7month pregnant wife in bloody shoot out

Damilola

A seven-month pregnant lady was shot and killed at the Arepo area of Ogun State as the battle between oil vandals and members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), guiding the oil pipelines enters its second day.

The lady, identified as Mrs. Damilola Fajana, who got married last year, was shot and killed as she left the hospital bed side of her sick husband, intent on going home to get something for him.

She was cut in the cross fire between the OPC and the vandals, who wore army camouflage uniforms and red bandana. Sympathisers dashed to the hospital where her husband was on admission to break the tragic news to him. The man fainted on hearing that his less than a year bride and pregnant wife was dead.

Doctors who were duty were said to have battled to resuscitate and saved his life. A mobile policeman also received bullet inflicted injuries. He is now at undisclosed hospital, battling to live.

An eye witness said: “She was shot on the neck and lost consciousness. A man driving in his own car saw her and tried to take her to hospital, but OPC men prevented him. It took the intervention of a policewoman before OPC allowed her to be taken to hospital. She was however rejected at the private hospital she was taken to. She died on the way to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).”

Frightened residents have remained indoors, as the vandals were said to have started setting buildings on fire, including police post. The residents said they were tired of living in fear.

Residents in the area explained that the vandals who stormed the community in a commando style, came on a reprisal attacked, to avenge the killing of one of their colleagues. The said colleague was allegedly killed by the OPC guarding the pipelines on Sunday.  

The reprisal attack started on Monday, but snowballed on Wednesday, leading to the shooting and instant death of Damilola. The deceased was said to have been killed, as the vandals, shot sporadically, making their way to the shore of the river.

Another resident said: “The lady killed was a lawyer. She was returning from the hospital, where she went to visit his husband who had been on the sick bed for some days, when they killed her. She woman was   making a U turned to her resident at Duru Street, Beach land Estate, when the unfortunate bullet hit her on the neck.”

Another resident of the area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the vandals started screaming as their gun fire rocked the community.

The resident continued: “They screamed that they didn’t want OPC in the community. They said they were comfortable with mobile policemen attached to the area. After shooting for a while, they went straight to the security post and set it ablaze. Due to the incessant attacks in the area, some of the landlords had packed out of their buildings, relocating to other areas.”