How police allegedly shot, killed teenager in Lagos

Police officers attached to the Panti Division on Friday night allegedly shot and killed an 18-year-old lady, Monsurat Ojuade, during a raid in Surulere, Lagos.

Oluwatosin Ojuade, the elder sister of the deceased, told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday that Miss Ojuade, a fashion designer, was shot inside their compound in Mogaji, Surulere, one month after her 18th birthday.

The incident left her parents and three siblings shocked as residents gathered in circles discussing the matter.

The elder sister said the deceased was about to lock her mother’s shop outside the compound when she saw people running.

“She ran inside the compound with my other sibling, Laide; my mother was washing clothes when they ran in,” she said.

“My mother tried to shut the gate but a policeman was dragging it with her, then she heard the gunshot, she didn’t even know that it had hit someone. She opened the gate to know who shot the bullet and she said she saw the policeman going, she saw the back view.

According to a witness, Adepiti Adewunmi, the deceased with her mother, a petty trader, and another sibling, Laide, were running for safety when the incident happened.

“It happened on Friday night around 10:30 p.m. The mother is a petty trader.

“We got information that some policemen were picking up people. They were raiding and normally anytime that they are out, they pick innocent people.

“It happened that they were trying to pack some goods from the kiosk into their residence when they noticed that some people were running, the girl, her mom and sister also ran.

“Immediately they ran inside, they shut the gate, the policemen were forcing the gate to open it, people in the compound ran inside their rooms.

Ms Adewunmi said while people were running into the compound, Ms Ojuade’s sister, Laide, fell and the deceased stopped to help her, leaving the gate open.

That was when the policeman fired into the compound, according to her.

“After the gunshot, she was screaming that the police has shot me, the sister ran out.”

Absent medical care

Ms Adewunmi said she tied her towel around the wound to stop the blood.

She noted that the police came in two buses – one was painted white and the other yellow.

She said they took Ms Ojuade to Comforter Hospital in the area but the doctor wasn’t available.

“At Igbobi, they said that they can’t attend to us that they are on strike. So, we went to Havannah Hospital along Akerele road, that was where she was declared dead.

Ms Adewunmi said they took her corpse home, then on Saturday morning, some residents went to report to the Ijeshatedo police station.

“Ijesha police took her to the morgue, but they said we will be the one to foot the bills.”

Osunmo Abiodun, a member of the landlord association in the area, said he went to the Ijeshatedo police station to report the matter.

“I went to the Ijeshatedo police station in the name of Onikeku Kammi (a councillor), we went to lodge a report and ask the police to visit the scene on that Friday night, they said they don’t have a vehicle to carry her but a good Samaritan volunteered to rescue her.

Mr Abiodun said on Saturday morning, the Divisional Police Officer of Ijeshatedo police station, Umaru Bala, told them the “police officers were from the State CID in Panti.

“He led some of us to the area commander in Zone D in Mushin, at the meeting the man apologised on behalf of the Nigerian police.

“Then he asked us what we want the police to do, then we said we want to seek justice for the girl, we want the man to be identified and dismissed.

“He promised that the officer who was responsible will be identified. He said the names of the officers that came for the operation are with them and they will be identified.

“He promised that the commissioner of police will be informed.”

Efforts to reach the Lagos State police spokesperson, Adekunle Ajisebutu, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to phone calls and messages.