Corporal kills mother of four over N50 bribe

• Injured husband in critical condition

A police corporal has killed a mother of four and shot her husband, a tricycle rider, at Isheri Oshun area of Idimu, Lagos. 
The tricycle rider, is identified as Sunday Godwin and his wife, Comfort.
The corporal, now in detention, was said to have opened fire on the couple inside their tricycle around 11pm on Wednesday.
The couple were with their four children at the time of the incident. The children were said to have narrowly escaped flying bullets. The family was returning from a church programme when the policeman and his colleagues, who were on a ‘stopand- search’ duty at Obalagba bus stop, asked the rider for a N50 bribe. The rider’s refusal to give them the bribe reportedly angered the corporal.
He corked his gun and shot the man and his wife. The woman died immediately while her husband is still battling to stay alive at the hospital. He was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, but was rejected and referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Mushin Lagos. Angry tricycle riders besieged Isheri Oshun Police Station, determined to set it on fire.
But for the quick arrival of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of Operation in the command, the station would have been burnt to the ground. The DCP rushed to the station with a team of policemen, saved the station and addressed the angry mob. Addressing journalists yesterday at the state Command Headquarters, the Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, said that the corporal, attached to the Isheri Oshun Police Station, would be charged for murder.
He added that the Divisional Police Officer, in charge of the station, had been issued a query for flouting the instruction of the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase. Owoseni, who described the incident as sad, said: “We will not tolerate any act of barbarism or indiscipline.
The police corporal had been arrested and necessary disciplinary actions would soon be taken. He would be charged for murder. The incident happened around midnight. We want to put an end to recklessness among our policemen.
“The DPO has been issued a query for disobeying IG’s instruction on policemen going about their duty with improperly labelled vehicle and uniform. The team leader and other policemen with the corporal will also be disciplined.”
A witness said the incident occurred about 11pm. He said: “I was inside a filling station where I work as a security guard when I heard the policeman tell the victim to give him the N50. But the tricycle rider told him he was just coming from a church programme and that he had no money.
“I overheard the policeman who was identified as Aremu tell his colleagues that he would kill the rider for refusing to give him the money. Before I knew what was happening, I heard a gunshot. Immediately after the shot they left the scene in their patrol van.
“Those of us who were still outside at that period rushed to rescue the victim, while some other people ran after the policemen. We then alerted other members of the tricycle riders who resided in the community about the happening.
“When the Ikotun branch chairman of the tricycle riders and other members arrived the scene, we took the couple to a private hospital in the community for treatment, they requested for a police report before they could attend to them. It was in the process that some people went to Area ‘M’ Police Command to report the incident officially and get a police report.
“The Area Commander went with the tricycle riders to the hospital. After given them first aid, the couple were later referred to LUTH, while the wife later gave up the ghost.” Owoseni, who latter addressed the protesters, told them not to take laws into their hands.
The commissioner said the culprit had been arrested and would be charged for murder. He said: “We have deposited N110,000 for his (the rider’s) medical bill. Another N100,000 was also deposited in the hospital. We are going to foot the medical bill and take care of the children of the man, because the incident is part of our problem.”