It has always been a period characterized with joy, singing and dancing. It is a celebration that had always been peaceful. But this year, everything turned from celebration of joy to one of horror and sorrow, as gunshots peppered the gathering, leading to the death of an artisan and later a motor park chairman.
The incident plunged everyone into mourning and before one could Jack Robison, angry youths mobilized, took to the streets and started chanting songs of solidarity. They wreaked havoc.
Trouble on that fateful Sunday started at about 5:pm, while everyone was at the shrine in Sogo Ifetedo in cele area of the community, waiting for the chief priest to come and pray for them. Suddenly, the waiting crowd heard gunshots.
An eye witness said: “Before we knew what was happening, the policemen entered into the shrine and arrested Regal. While they were taking him away, they started destroying everything in the shrine and threatened to kill anyone, who comes closer. They entered their van and zoomed off."
The killing of Akeem Akinsanya, (25), a battery charger came barely two weeks after the Inspector-General of Police Muhammadu Adamu, warned policemen to desist from indiscriminate shootings and killing of civilians.
The second victim killed on that same day and in that same community is Monsuru Alabi, chairman of the motorcycle riders in the community.
Akeem was shot to death during a festival at Ifo area of the state. The policemen have been identified to come from Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS). The five policemen shot and killed Akeem while trying to escape from Akoogun shrine, after arresting Regal.
Residents said that the policemen defied tradition and went into the shrine to arrest the suspect in the presence of adherents.
The shooting generated outrage with
residents who took to the streets. The incident snowballed into violent attack
on the Ifo constituency office of the Deputy Speaker of the state House of
Assembly, Hon. Olakunle Oluomo.
In the attack, the constituency
office and five vehicles belonging to Oluomo were razed down by suspected
hoodlums.
A police source disclosed that a team of
operatives from the Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) Obada Oko area, Abeokuta
Ogun State investigating an alleged case of unlawful possession of arms, ammunition
and cultism went to arrest Abu a.k.a Regal, a notorious cultist.
The
source said: “Regal had been implicated by Afeez Popoola a.k.a Level, who had
been previously arrested and undergoing investigation by the team. He is said
to be the curator of arms and ammunition of the Eiye Confraternity in Ifo axis
of Ogun State. Regal was arrested by the team around 3pm while in possession of
a locally made pistol with cartridges kept in a handbag. The items were
recovered by the police team. Whilst the team were taking the suspects to the
station along with the recovered items, a renowned tout popularly known as Obasanjo
in company of a host of other suspected cult members, ambushed the team.”
The police source continued: “One Inspector
Sunday Ogundapo, the police team leader, who happened to be in possession of
the recovered exhibits was inflicted with machete injuries on his head. He was
about to be dispossessed of his AK47 rifle; in the process of struggling with
the mob, a bullet accidentally discharged and killed Akeem.”Akisanya’s uncle, Chief Mukaila Murana, said it was an unfortunate incident. He said that every adherent was in the shrine performing ritual when the policemen dashed into the shrine and started dragging Regal away.
Murana further said: “It was in the process of trying to whisk Regal away that the policemen started shooting sporadically. Among those who were also running from being hit by the flying bullets was Akeem. He was, however, hit on the thigh, buttock and penis. He fell into a stream. Before we knew what was happening, the festival ended abruptly as everyone scampered for safety. We have not witnessed such incident in our community before."
The distraught mother of the deceased, Mrs. Sherifat Akinsanya said: “I was with my friends when Akeem told me he was going to his sister’s. I was still with my friends when I received a phone call that Akeem had been shot. I tried to rush down to the scene. When I was rushing there, I saw policemen on motorcycles leaving, but I didn’t know they were those that killed my son. When I got back home I saw crowd gathered in our house, weeping. I fainted. I was later revived at the hospital.
"I also heard that some of his elder brothers and friends in the community chased the policemen to a petrol station where they hid from being mobbed. His corpse was taken to hospital, where he was confirmed dead. He was the last of my three sons. I don't know where to start from; all I want is justice for my son."
Akeem’s cousin, Mr. Muraina Yahaya, said that he was with the deceased when the police shot him.
His words: “Immediately the bullet hit Akeem, he called me and said, ‘brother, I have been shot by the police.’ Before I knew what was happening, my cousin fell into a stream. I screamed for help, but nobody could get close to him. I ran, but later returned to the scene and tried to rescue him. I took him to health centre, where we were later referred to Ifo general hospital. He was confirmed dead at the general hospital.
"The deceased was not a politician or a cultist. Before the commencement of the festival, the committee applied for approval from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Ifo, the Department of State Security Service (DSS). They were all present at the festival. But ZIS operatives didn't have regards for their colleagues. They went into the shrine to arrest the suspect they wanted to right inside the shrine.
"The policemen after they were arrested told the DPO of Ifo that they were trying to resist the mob. They said that was why they shot directly into the air to scare people. What they told the DPO were all lies."
Mr. Mukaila Oridota, another uncle to Akeem that when he went to the mortuary on Tuesday for possible recovery of the corpse, he was told to pay N150, 000 before it would be released to him.
He said: "Before
going to the hospital, I went to the DPO office to know the next step about the
burial of the boy. I was given a form to fill, which I took to the mortuary. When
I got there, I was asked to bring N70, 000 for autopsy, N25, 000 for mortuary
fee, and N45, 000 for the doctor that would extract the bullets from Akeem’s
corpse. When I went back to the DPO, he said thank God that it was not his boys
that killed the victim. But when the deputy governor of Ogun State visited the
hospital, they denied demanding money from me. But as a family of the deceased,
I’m not happy over what happened.”
Our
correspondent was conducted round Akoogun shrine, and some sacred places in the
shrine allegedly violated by the policemen after they invaded the shrine.
The elder sister
of Akeem, Miss Azeezat Akinsanya, said: “I called Akeem before the commencement
of the festival to come and assist me to fix my fan. After fixing it, he was in
a haste to return home. He wanted to go and attend the festival. I persuaded
him to stay back and eat before returning home. He obliged me. I went to the
kitchen to prepare rice for him. After eating, he dashed out of my house. He
said he was going home to prepare for the festival. I told him to wait for me;
I was also going to the festival. He didn’t wait. A few minutes after he left
my house, I received a phone call that he had been shot by policemen. I didn’t
know that the food I gave him was his last supper. As I speak with you now, I
have not washed the plate and pot I used in serving and cooking the rice. It’s
still like a dream to me. He was killed less than five minutes after leaving my
house.”
It was gathered
that at about 8p.m.same day, some assailants stormed the community and killed
Monsuru Alabi chairman of the motorcycle riders in the community.
While people
were still reeling in shock over the murder of Alabi, some suspected hoodlums
burnt five buses belonging to a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly,
Honourable Olakunle Taiwo Oluomo. The vehicles were parked in front of Oluomo’s
constituency office, at Coker bus stop.
A close friend
of Alabi, who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “They were still battling
with the issue of the other boy that was killed by the police when news
filtered in that Monsuru had been killed. Before we came back from his house,
some of the buses belonging to honourable Oluomo, one of which he used to take
children to different schools had been burnt and his constituency office. As I
speak with you now, we are all living in fear.”
The Ogun State
Commissioner of Police, Makama Bashir, who accompanied the deputy governor to
console Akeem’s parents, said justice will prevail.
Makama said: “We
came to console the family of the deceased, who was killed by a policeman. Those
who killed the boy were not from Ogun State Command. But they had been arrested
and detained. I want to assured the family members that justice will prevail
and any policeman who went against the rules and regulations of the firearms
would be prosecuted.”
The four police officers, who were
allegedly involved in the killing of Akeem, had been arrested.
Makama said the officers, who were
attached to the Zonal Intervention Squad of Zone 2 Police Command have
been arrested while a civilian suspect was also arrested.
He spoke just as the state police
command declared that no fewer than 25 suspects have been arrested in
connection with the violence that broke out after the murder of Akeem.
Makama, who also visited the
traditional ruler of the community, said all the perpetrators and accomplices
would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law.
Although normalcy has since returned
to the community, shops and business outlets are still under lock and key
apparently over fear of a reprisal.
Oluomo had earlier called for the
intervention of security agencies to forestall total breakdown of law and order
in Ifo.
The deputy speaker, who lamented the
destruction of his property and vehicles, said the incident had political
undertone.
His words: "On Sunday was the
final Akoogun Festival in Ifo and one of the boys opposed to APC during the
last election invited many of the political thugs and unionists that were
involved in attacks against me and APC supporters during the elections. I
learnt SARS trailed one of the boys to the venue for gun possession and got him
arrested with the gun. Others surrounded the police to prevent the boy from
being taken away. They took the gun back from the policemen and even attempted
to seize AK47 from one of the policemen. In the melee, one of the boys was
killed and the policemen escaped from the scene.
"The boys later regrouped and
started attacking any APC members or supporters in sight, accusing them of
inviting police. They later mobilized themselves in large numbers, moved to my
constituency office and set five vehicles ablaze- three Mercedes, 42 seater
buses, one Isuzu luxurious bus and a 36-seater coaster bus, that I use for free
school shuttle. The entire office was razed and they later moved to the
constituency of Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Rep, Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka and burnt it down
as well.
"They have been trailing me
since I won the 9th March election. In fact, I have to seek police protection
for my house and office for the first two weeks after the election because they
keep threatening that they will bring me down on or before May 29th."
The Ogun State Police Public
Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, said 25 suspects have been arrested
in connection with the arson.
Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of
Police, however, stated that the whereabouts of a police inspector had been
unknown since the incident on Sunday, adding that the officer had been declared
missing.
According to him, the mob inflicted
severe machete cuts on the missing officer during an attempt to arrest a
suspect.
"On their way back, they mobbed
and attacked the officers and in the course of escaping from the attack, they
released gun shots and incidentally, it hit one person and he died," he
said.
The PPRO explained that few minutes
after the incident; some hoodlums went to the constituency office of the Deputy
Speaker in Coker Bus Stop and set it ablaze along with five vehicles.
He described the act as criminal and
vowed that the perpetrators would be made to face the wrath of law.
Oyeyemi said, "Some people
mobilised themselves and attacked the office of the Deputy Speaker, burnt down
the office and five vehicles in that area. The correlation between the incident
that happened and the reaction of the people is what we cannot establish
because there is no nexus between the two.
"For now, we have arrested 25
suspects. The issues are two: the case of murder and arson. But the case of
arson is what the people have committed. That act is pure criminal; there is
nothing that warrants such spontaneous action."
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