How 80-year-old mother ran mad after police gun down only son

The destroyed church

On May 10, policemen stormed the Makoko community area of Yaba, Lagos State, shooting, maiming and killing residents.

When the law enforcement agents were through, they left sorrow, tears and blood. Two persons laid dead and many others sustained injuries. Wailing and mournful dirge enveloped the riverine community.

The policemen were believed to have been drawn from the Lagos State Task Force, Anti-Kidnapping and Cultism Unit and State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba.

One of the men killed was Kolawole Iwalokun. The deceased’s pregnant wife was also alleged to have been shot on the arm. While the wife had remain inconsolable since the death of her husband, the deceased’s mother, Mrs. Elisabeth Iwalokun 80, simply went mad.

Grieving community members moved the old woman to the Badagry area of Lagos, in search of solution for her mental health.

According to residents, Kolawole was the bread winner of his aged parents. Kolawole’s pregnant wife was shot and injured while attempting to move her father-in-law, 94, out of the way of ricocheting bullets from the policemen smoking guns.

Some of the policemen wore jackets that had, ‘Raider’ written on them. They drove into the petrified community on May 10 in eight commercial buses and a Black Maria.

Eye witnesses claimed that in order to instill fear and cowed the residents, the policemen started shooting sporadically, unmindful where their flying bullets landed.

Fearful for the lives of the elderly and children in the community, enraged youths were alleged to have bravely stepped out of their hiding to confront the shooters. Kolawole was among young men that attempted to protect his family and community. He died. Another person killed was Seyi Akintenehin.

One of the residents, Mr. Peter Ipense, said: “After the policemen entered the community, they attacked ‘The Acts of Apostle Church.’ Several buildings and about 15 makeshift shops were set on fire by them. I guessed they were trying to send a signal to us. On May 4, before the attack, elders in the church had a meeting with the officer in charge of the Anti-land Grabbing Task Force in his office. He gave us 14 days to vacate the community. The elders reminded him that the matter was in court and that they couldn’t speak further on it. The elders told him to exercise patient for the verdict of the court.”

Ipense said: “We were in church on May 10, around 7:am, when we saw stern looking policemen invade our community. They came in eight commercial buses and a Black Maria. Before we knew what was happening, they had started shooting. Within a twinkle of an eye, two of our family members had been killed. The two men that were killed each had a pregnant wife. The operation, which started around 7am, ended at about 10pm. They left us in anguish.”

According to Ipense, after the policemen gained access into the church, they set it on fire.  “As I speak with you now; the church may collapse any moment because of the damages done to the building.”

Apparently not satisfied with the carnage they had wrought, the policemen went to the tomb of the founder of the church to destroy it, but didn’t succeed.

Ipense said: “They also went into people’s house to make arrest, collect their phones, money and other valuables. Presently, we still have not been able to bury one of the victims because they took his corpse away.”

Among those that sustained injuries is the pastor of The Acts of Apostles Church, Pastor Robert Inuoshelawo. He was shot on the leg. Some elderly men and women, who couldn’t scamper for safety, were also alleged to have sustained injuries.

Explaining why policemen stormed the community and tried to kick them out, Ipense said: “We gathered that a family, the Cokers, is claiming that they are the owner of this land.  But the land belongs to our forefather who reclaimed the land from the Lagoon to Adekunle. Our fathers were also paying royalties to (NIMASA) till date. My question is where was the Cokers family when our fathers were sand-filling the land?”  

Another resident, Mr. John Peter, said this was not the first time policemen would be invading the community in an attempt to force them off the land.

Peter recalled: “On June 12, 2014, the former Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operation, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Tunde Sobulo, led a team of policemen into the community to chase us away. Nobody died then, but many sustained injuries. The task force claimed that we built our houses on a disputed parcel of land. But we made them to understand that some of our mothers, who partook in the sand-filling of the land, were still alive and could testify. All we want is peace. We don’t want to take laws into our hands, which was why we protested to the governor’s office the other day, to register our displeasure.”

Mr. Ayodele Akintimeyin, also a resident, said: “The case of the land dispute is before the court. The invasion of the community caught every one of us unaware. People have been living on the land for over 70 years now. Some land grabbers came a few years ago, claiming it belonged to them. The matter was taken to court, but they decided to take the law into their hands. They involved policemen and the community was invaded, leading to the murder of two good men.”

Akintimeyin further said: “Many of our community members were injured and are in critical conditions at the Mainland General Hospital. Some were shot in the legs. The policemen shot directly at people. They burnt the church and 15 shops outside the church. Chairs and musical instruments were burnt. The policemen were not in uniform. Some of them wore jackets with the inscription ‘Raider.’ About 2,000 residents had been displaced now.”

Giving her own account, Damilola Ogunbekun, said that the policemen clearly for a war.

She said:  “I was outside when a bus drove into the church premises. The policemen started shooting and burning shops. I managed to escape through the back of the church. People were shouting and crying. There was panic everywhere.”

Mrs. Ajimuda Mosunmola recollected: “I was sleeping when a stray bullet flew into my room through the roof of my house. I would have been dead by now; it was God that saved me. I’m part of the generation that sand-filled the Makoko community. We are the rightful owners of this place. Immediately the bullet fell into my room, I ran outside, attempting to escape and stay alive. It was when I was going that I fell down and sustained injury on my knees. Government should come to our rescue before these policemen kill all of us.”

Mrs. Titilola Olaremoye 80, said: “I’m part of those that sand-filled this community when it was waterlogged. We were living on the lagoon before everybody moved into this place after it was sand-filled in the 60s. Whoever is threatening us today, will not know peace! We suffered to make the place to what it is today. We have sacrificed a lot to make the place habitable. It is also a sacrilege for someone to burn down the house of God. One of the victims, Kolawole was the bread winner of his family. He left behind is aged parents and pregnant wife.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, has ordered investigation into the alleged killings of the victims. Imohimi, who gave the order in Lagos last week Tuesday, said that an unknown land grabber attacked the policemen and the task force officials during which they were forced to defend themselves.

The CP said that he ordered investigation into the matter based on new evidence that emerged from a petition written by a lawyer from the church where the fracas started.