Chiemelie Ezeobi
A 25-year-old man fashion designer, Jamiu Ayoade, was at the weekend shot dead by a trigger-happy Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ijeshatedo Police Division, who also injured two others.
The incident which happened at No, 49 Wosilat Daudu Street, Ijeshatedo, where the deceased went to celebrate a friend’s birthday party, has thrown the whole community into mourning.
According to eyewitness report, the DPO and his men had stormed the venue of the birthday party in two patrol vans and left afterwards.
They however came back a few minutes later agitated and eyewitnesses alleged that one of the policemen accompanying the DPO shot into the air.
They also alleged that the DPO who was sitting in front of one of the patrol vans, alighted and brought out his service pistol and went straight to where Ayoade was sitting close to his girlfriend and shot him on the head at close range.
While Ayoade bled and died on the spot, the gunshot from the other policeman left two tours with injuries.
The DPO’s action and that of his man was said to have provoked the residents of the street, who started raining curses on them over the gruesome murder of the deceased.
The deceased’s elder brother Mr. Jelili Bakare, speaking for the family, expressed surprise with the manner Ayoade was killed.
He said: “My younger brother, Abubakar Animashaun, was celebrating his birthday party with some of his friends in a low key manner at our late father’s house, when the DPO and his men came around.
“The DPO called a woman on the street called Mama Aliyat and they left. Surprisingly the policemen came back to street again.
“From where I was sitting, I saw one of the policemen that followed the DPO shooting into the air believing that some of the youths at the birthday party would run, but they stayed back.
“It was then the DPO out of annoyance came down from his vehicle and went to where Ayoade was sitting in the passage of the house and shot him on the head at close range.
“After the shooting, The DPO called for reinforcement from other police division in the area and lied to them that the youths were armed with cutlasses and broken bottles.
“Fortunately, when the other DPO and his men he called arrived the scene, they left angrily when they could not see any violent traces.
“The most annoying part of it was that when we went to Itire-Ikate Local council to lodge our complaint to council secretary, the DPO also came and said the deceased had been on their wanted list.â€
Another sibling to the deceased, Taofeek, while describing his brother as an easy going person, said he had not visited any police station in his life.
He said: “What annoyed us the most was the allegation of the DPO that my brother had been on their wanted listed.
“We are yet to hear what he was wanted for. We are calling on Lagos State government and the state Commissioner of Police to come to our aid.
“Since the news was broken to our mother, she has been in serious condition. As Muslims however, we have already buried him at Atan Cemetery, Yaba.â€
