Mother: I was detained five hours after drunken SARS officer killed my daughter

Taiwo Jimoh

Mrs. Janet Anifowoshe was a picture of grief. She was surrounded by other women, who came to pay condolence visits.

Since March 18, that her daughter, Khadijat (16), was shot to death by an operative of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikorodu branch, tears had become her daily companion.

When our correspondent visited Janet on Tuesday, she was still crying.

Amidst her tears, she sniffs: “When that policeman killed my daughter, he killed my joy. Khadijat was my confidant. I used to discuss all sorts of private issues that are bothering me with her. She was my second child. Right now, I don’t even know how to go on with life.”

Khadijat was allegedly shot to death by a drunken SARS officer, who started firing gunshot recklessly, forcing to scamper for safety.

The sporadic shootings started some minutes after Khadijat, who just returned from school, collected the meat her mother was washing, to finish the chore. One of the flying bullets, from the reckless gun got her. She died.

When Janet and other angry community members carried her corpse to Imota Police Station in protest, policemen fired canisters of tear gas at them and detained Janet for five hours.

Residents of Adamoh in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area of the Lagos State, where the incident happened, have joined Janet in mourning Khadijat. There was anger and despair in the faces of many of the residents found at Janet’s home.

Before our correspondent visited the troubled on Tuesday community, the Lagos State Police Command on Monday, came out with a press statement, claiming that Janet and other community members were ritualists. The statement further claimed that Janet and others wanted to attack the police station.

The press statement, which was signed by the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP, Bala Elkana, stated: “On 18/03/2019 at about 1730hrs following a tip off, a team of policemen on surveillance at Adama community, Ikorodu, raided a den of cultists who specialize in ritual murder and kidnapping for ritual purposes. On sighting the police, they opened fire and equally use some of their hostages as human shields. 

During the operation that lasted for about one hour, two Police Officers were injured and three suspects were arrested namely, Ahmed Hassan, Daniel Enyin and Olaniran Alium. One Hadiyat Sikiru, female, 18, an SS1 student was hit by a stray bullet. Attempt by other members of the deadly gang to attack our police station at Imota was met with stiff resistance by the gallant officers on duty. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Criminal Investigation, Panti to take over the case for in-depth investigation.” 

Janet lives at No. 11 Akahun road, Adamoh. Even as she cried, she intermittently screams the name of Khadijat, asking her to return to her.

According to the distraught woman, she was outside her open kitchen, from where she noticed the suspected policeman misbehaving. He was at a shop across the road from her point.

She said: “At the side of the road, there is another canteen. The policeman and his colleagues were eating. They were five policemen, including the man that killed my daughter.  Immediately the policeman finished eating, he stepped out of the canteen and for no reason, started shooting sporadically. While this was going on, my daughter had returned from school. She sat close to where I was cooking. She told me to leave the meat I was washing, that she would finish washing and boil it. 

“She was washing the meat when I suddenly heard another gunshot. My daughter fell off from the stood she was sitting and hit the ground. She fell with her face into the plastic she was using to wash the meat. I tried to raise her; I knew something bad has happened.”

Almost going crazy with shock and grief, Janet ran straight to the shooter and held him, shouting that he should come and see the damage he had done to her.

“The policeman hit me with the butt of his gun. I fell down. I stood up immediately and I went to my neigbhour’s shop, Baba Precious, to come to my rescue. Baba Precious also tried to grab the policeman, but he was shot on his hand. As I speak with you right now, the man is at Igbobi Orthopedic Hospital, where he’s receiving treatment,” said Janet.

She further narrated: “After killing my daughter, the policeman and his colleagues escaped from the scene. They ran to their base at Ketu Epe. My canteen is inside the market. Women, who saw what happened, rallied round me. We carried the remains of my daughter to Imota Police Station.”

When protesting crowd got to Imota Police Station, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), allegedly prevented them from coming into the premises. The DPO threatened to shoot the protesting women. 

 Janet recounted: “I told the DPO to leave the women and arrest me instead. Before I knew what was happening, the policemen had started firing canisters of tear gas at us. I was dragged into their cell, where I was detained from 5p.m. to 10p.m. Some youths who went with me where arrested.”

She continued: “On the fateful day of the incident, after my daughter returned from school, she had not removed her school uniform when she was killed. I told her to remove it, but she said that I should allow her to finish what she was doing. I never knew we were having our last discussion.”  

The owner of the canteen, where the policemen ate is Mrs. Idowu Oluwabunmi. Her canteen is across the road from that of Janet.

Oluwabunmi said: “I was in my canteen on that fateful day, attending to customers when the five policemen walked in. They arrived at about around 5: 30p.m. They ordered for different choice of food. After eating, four paid me, but the policeman that killed the Khadijat refused to pay for his food. He walked out of my canteen and started ranting that he wouldn’t pay and that nobody would question him. He said that even the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police can’t question him. That was how I allowed him to walk out of the area.

“Unfortunately, as he was leaving, he started shooting sporadically. People scampered for safety, running away from flying bullets. The policeman looks drunk, which was why I didn’t want to demand money for food from him. Before I knew what was happening, a stray bullet hit Khadijat, right at where she was assisting her mother. She died at the spot. It was a gory sight to behold. The girl’s blood flooded the whole ground, and filled the bowl she was using to wash meat.”

One of the women that marched to Imota Police State with Janet is Mrs. Kafayat Jimoh. She denied report that those arrested at the station were kidnappers and ritual killers. She also expressed shock when she was told that police alleged them of burning down a police van.

Jimoh said: “There was no single police van that was burnt! We only went to Imota Police Station to protest the death of Khadijat. In fact, those arrested by the police are mourners. Police should show us where the kidnappers’ den is located in this our community. They should also show us some of the kidnapped victims. We are law abiding citizens. We don’t take laws into our hands. Police are fond of telling lies. They should admit that one of them killed our daughter. If they know they didn’t kill the girl, why did Imota Police Station DPO went to Khadijat’s parents’ house to do? The DPO went to beg for forgiveness. The DPO said that the policeman that shot and killed Khadijat had been arrested.” 

Another resident, Mr. Folorunsho Balogun, said: “What policemen are doing to us in Adamoh is becoming unbearable. We were still mourning Khadijat when the police suddenly issued a statement, claiming that she was killed during a cross fire between kidnappers who used her as a shield. Whoever wrote such a report, should remember that he or she has children; God will judge between the writer and Khadijat.”