Family demands justice over killing of man by police officer
PREMIUM TIMES
gathered that Mr Ajayi died after he was shot by one of the policemen attached
to the Agodi Area Command in Ibadan last Thursday.
Mr Ajayi was shot at
Iwo Road.
Mr Ajayi was killed
at a time he was reportedly preparing to move to his newly built house in
Ibadan, the state capital. A family source said that Mr Ajayi, whose wife is
pregnant, was expecting his first child at the time he was killed.
Mr Ajayi and a
relative, Kayode Atanda, were accosted by three police officers while coming
from Monatan area of Ibadan on Thursday.
The policemen
stopped Mr Ajayi and Mr Atanda in their Toyota Camry car, while going to the
Egbeda area of Ibadan.
After stopping their
vehicle, one of the policemen shot at Mr Atanda, who drove the car but the
bullet hit Mr Ajayi in his stomach. He died before he was rushed to the
hospital.
Mr Atanda was also
later admitted at the University College Hospital (UCH).
Family cries for justice
However, the family
of Mr Ajayi has urged the Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Abubakar, and
the state Commissioner of Police, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, to ensure the police
officer who shot at Messrs Ajayi and Atanda are brought to book.
Mr Ajayi’s elder
brother, Sola Ajayi, who spoke on behalf of the family, said that the police
should investigate the officer who shot their bread-winner.
Sola Ajayi told
PREMIUM TIMES that the family has spent over N200,000 to treat Mr Atanda who is
still responding to treatment at the UCH.
He said when the
family heard about the unfortunate incident, they went to the testing ground
police station to confirm but it was only their vehicle that was at the
station. He added that police abandoned the wounded Mr Atanda at the UCH.
Sola said that the
family had to take up the responsibility of footing the bill when they could
not see the policemen.
“It was one of his
close relation, Kayode Atanda, who drove the car.
“Kayode Atanda was
shot by the policeman, the bullet went to hit my brother, Yemi Ajayi who sat
beside Kayode Atanda.
“On Thursday while
they were coming from Monatan, they were going to Egbeda and the police men
stopped them at Iwo Road under bridge. The three policemen stopped them and
before the driver could stop, one of the policemen shot Kayode Atanda and the
bullets went to hit Yemi Ajayi.
“The policemen did
not want to take them to the hospital, it was the people of the area that
raised the alarm. We went to the area commander and he wanted to dodge us.
Later, they told us that three policemen have been arrested and are at Iyaganku
CID.
“We want the IGP and
the commissioner of Police to wade in. We want them to cater for the one that
is still alive, the family has spent over two hundred thousand naira at the
UCH. Kayode Atanda is still at UCH.
“Olayemi Ajayi was
about to move to his newly built house and his wife is still pregnant. We have
not even informed her about the incident.
“It was only Kayode
Atanda, our cousin who was rushed to the University Teaching Hospital (UCH) for
treatment that we met in the hospital. I pray the arm is not later amputated.”
The Public Relations
Officer of the Oyo State Police Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, confirmed the
killing of the deceased by the police officer. Mr Fadeyi told our correspondent
that the state command had begun an investigation into the matter.
Mr Fadeyi, in a
reply to PREMIUM TIMES’ enquiry said; “A police patrol team of ACPOL Agodi who
were on routine patrol at Iwo road interchange Ibadan on 09/07/2020 at about
1215 pm stopped a Toyota Camry car having two occupants after shout of thief in
which they alleged to have refused to stop and in the processed one of the
Policemen fired a shot at the vehicle which hit one Kayode Atanda ‘m’ on his
upper arm while Adeyemi ‘m’ was hit on his stomach and were rushed to Police
hospital Agodi for treatment, but Adeyemi was later confirmed dead by the
medical personnel while Kayode Atanda was responding to treatment.”
“The CP had ordered
investigation which has commenced into the incident at the CID, Iyaganku, pls.”
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