Wife of a 60-year-old deejay, Adamson
Bello, who was killed last Sunday by a stray bullet fired by a policeman
attached to the Okokomaiko Police Division, Lagos State, has called for
justice. Read more
Modinatu, 50, said the police did not
only shoot her husband, they also frustrated efforts to get him medical
treatment because the family could not obtain a police report demanded
by the hospital.
Modinatu, who was married to the late
deejay for 30 years before the relationship was terminated by the police
bullet, explained to PUNCH Metro that Adamson was hit in the chest a few metres from their house.
Our correspondent learnt that the shot was fired by one of the policemen guarding a new hotel in the area, South Bound Hotel.
An eye witness told PUNCH Metro that nobody could explain why the shot was fired by the killer cop.
He said, “Baba Fasilat (Adamson) was
sitting in front of a house a few meters away from the hotel which was
being guarded by a team of policemen.”
“Suddenly, one of the policemen fired a shot, for reasons nobody could explain.
“Unfortunately, Baba Fasilat was hit in the chest. Immediately people saw what had happened, there was confusion.
“Other police officers started shooting into the air to scare people away and pave the way for their escape.”
Modinatu, however, said she knew about the calamity that befell her from her son.
She said, “I had just arrived from Ondo
that Sunday. I prepared pounded yam for him and later, he said he wanted
to stroll out to the other street where our son, Afeez, also a deejay,
had a musical engagement.
“A few minutes later, Afeez rushed in and started screaming that his dad had been hit by a police stray bullet.
“I rushed to the scene. Everybody had
fled. Even the police team that wreaked the havoc had deserted the area.
It was only my husband on the ground in a pool of blood. Later,
neighbours helped me and we took him to a hospital around here, but he
was rejected because there was no police report to explain the gunshot
wound.”
Modinatu said a neighbour advised her to
get the police report, adding that when she got to the station with
them (neighbours), policemen on duty locked the gate and trained their
guns at them.
She said, “We told them we had not come
to fight, but needed a police report. They asked me to come in and took
my statements. But despite the statement, I was not given any police
report. After pleading with them and getting no positive response, we
decided to take our chances. My husband died when we got to the Badagry
General Hospital.”
Modinatu said since the incident, nobody
at the station had visited the family, despite the fact that the family
had reported the case there.
She said, “The Divisional Police Officer
is aware that the shot was fired by a policeman guarding South Bound
Hotel. I plead with relevant authorities in the police to step into this
matter. My husband must not die in vain. I want justice.”
Our correspondent learnt that
immediately the news of Adamson death filtered into the area, some
residents launched an attack against the hotel in retaliation.
Some of the hotel’s properties had been
damaged by the angry residents before a fresh team of policemen were
deployed in the area to disperse them.
When our correspondent visited the hotel, repairs were still going on.
The traditional ruler of the area, Chief
Dele Makinde, described the late Adamson as a gentle and easygoing man.
He urged the government to bring the suspect to justice.
The Police Public Relations Officer,
Ngozi Braide, told our correspondent on the telephone that the killer
cop had been arrested and was being interrogated at the State Criminal
Investigation Department, Yaba.
“The suspect has been arrested and is
currently in detention as we speak. The matter has also been transferred
to the SCID, Yaba for investigation,” Braide said.
by Samson Folarin
Culled from Punch newspaper
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