My daughter was intentionally killed, says Mother Of 18-Year-Old Stray Bullet Victim
My daughter was intentionally killed, says Mother Of 18-Year-Old Stray Bullet Victim
Lagos- The family of the 18-year old girl, Monsurat Ojuade, who was allegedly killed by a team of detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department in Surulere area of the state, last Friday is crying for justice.
The family is also asking Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and top officers of the force to ensure that their daughter does not die in vain.
Monsurat who was an admission seeker, who scored 236 in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to study Accounting at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun State, was killed by a trigger-happy policeman inside their house at No 53, Mogaji Street, Ijeshatedo.
Her mother Mrs. Ojuade said Monsurat and her elder sister were packing in goods from her provisions store beside the house, to close business for the day, when the incident happened.
Her words “They were about to close the shop when they noticed people running helter-skelter. The duo hurriedly left the shop and ran inside our compound. I was washing clothes beside the well when they ran inside the compound. I asked them why they were running but they told me they just saw people running and had to join them. I hurriedly ran towards the gate to ensure the gate was locked, thinking it was the one million boys that were on rampage as usual.
“But while myself and two other people were locking the gate, an unidentified person, which we later discovered to be one of the detectives, was forcing the gate open from outside. But we later succeeded in locking the gate.
“Seeing that he couldn’t succeed, the man immediately started shouting ‘I will shoot ooooo,’ he was still shouting when Monsurat left me and her sister to call his father who was inside the house. The policeman saw the girl as she was running inside the house because there was light, he pointed the gun through the gate and shot. When I heard the deafening sound of the gun, I quickly removed my hands from the gate and started rolling on the ground thinking I was the one hit by the bullet. I peeped through the gate to see who the person was; it was a policeman in black cloth covered with military camouflage. Tall and lanky, he didn’t stop after the shooting”
She said it was the elder sister that announced to her that Monsurat had been hit by the bullet. “Immediately I returned inside the compound, I saw Monsurat in the pool of her blood; it penetrated her two thighs tearing the flesh.
Contrary to the position of the police through a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, on Sunday that Monsurat was killed by a stray bullet; the mother said that her daughter was intentionally killed by the policeman.
Ojuade said: “Then, we picked her in the pool of her blood and rushed her to Randle Hospital, where first aid treatment was applied on her. The two thighs were bandaged. She was later referred to Igbobi but immediately she was brought in, we were told that she was already dead, that was around 12:00am on Saturday.
“She was very useful to me, assisting me with my household chores and at the shop whenever her siblings are in school.
“I want them to bring the policeman here, to explain why he should intentionally kill my daughter. Please, I must not suffer in vain. I appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu and human rights activists to come to my aid. She promised to buy cars, build houses for me but the promise has been shattered. She mustn’t die in vain.”
According to the police statement, the Police spokesman said the erring officer had been arrested and detained in relation to the development.
It was also learnt that Lagos State Police commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu has visited to condole with the family.
Odumosu said autopsy would be carried out on the remains of Monsurat before concluding on the cause of her death.
TheGuardian
