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The Lagos State Police Command has released two out of the three policemen who were fingered in the alleged murder of two drivers – Endurance Omonyahuy and Sikiru Amusa – on February 15, 2012.
Media Reports had claimed that on February 17 that the slain men, who were workers of Multiple Covenant Investment Limited, were killed by a team of anti-robbery policemen attached to the Igando Police Division in Lagos.
It was alleged that after their killings, the policemen – Inspectors Niyi Oladapo and Adeniji Olusegun – and one Corporal Smart, labelled them as armed robbers.
After the alleged act, the policemen were said to have intercepted a call placed by the supervisor of the deceased drivers, Mr. Saheed Olawale, and consequently traced him to a mechanic workshop where he was waiting for the drivers to pick up a vehicle.
On getting to the workshop, the policemen allegedly assaulted Olawale and arrested him before taking him to the police station.
However, after the slain men’s employer, Mr. Wale Sadiku, showed up at the station, the bubble burst and the three policemen were arrested and taken before the then Commissioner of Police, Mr. Yakubu Alkali, who ordered that they be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.
It was however learnt that after investigations, Olusegun and Smart were released while Oladapo, who is alleged to be the killer is still in detention.
Following this development, solicitors to the Sadiku’s company, Abayomi Sadiku and Co., have written a petition to the Chairman National Human Rights Commission, for what they described as a display of “lackadaisical attitude of the police authorities.”
The petition reads in part, “On February 15, 2012, Omonyahuy was riding on his motorcycle to his place of work where he was a truck driver. On the bike with him was Amusa, his assistant driver. In the course of their journey along the LASU/Igando area, he had a minor encounter with a commercial bus driver conveying some passengers, who drove recklessly in front of his bike and thereby caused Omonyahuy some apprehension.
“However, this encounter was quite brief as the bus driver was quick to accept his fault and promptly apologised hence they did not tarry long at the spot. Meanwhile, unknown to them, they were being trailed by some policemen (two on a motorcycle and others in a Volkswagen commercial bus) whom they had hitherto refused to bribe at an illegal checkpoint mounted along the same road.
“As the deceased persons left the commercial bus driver and zoomed off, apparently oblivious of the policemen on their trail, Inspector Oladapo alighted from his bike, cocked his AK-47 rifle and targeted the victims. He fired the first shot but missed and then a second shot. Oladapo’s second shot hit target and his bullet fatally pierced Amusa who sat behind and the same bullet went through and pierced Omonyahuy, who we reliably gathered did not die immediately as was later corroborated by the policemen’s confessional statements.”
Abayomi said five months after the incident, the police had yet to communicate with the families of the deceased.
“Omonyahuy was married and was the breadwinner of the family. His wife had just lost her pregnancy before the incident. Similarly, Amusa also had a family and he was also taking care of his mother. The police have still not even contacted them,” he said.
Abayomi said although the released policemen (Olusegun and Smart) did not directly kill the victims, they ought to be prosecuted for being accessories to murder.
He alleged that the policemen in question had attempted to cover the alleged killer-cop before they were exposed.
He said the police authorities should make sure that all the policemen involved were flushed out of the system.
He said, “Before our intervention, the policemen claimed that the deceased persons were armed robbers and Okewole (the supervisor who was assaulted was arrested) a member of their gang. However, upon our intervention, their position changed. They later claimed that the men were innocent passers-by who were shot dead by some unknown armed robbers and there was no eyewitness.
“Curiously enough, they (policemen) failed to give a coherent explanation as to what necessitated the inhuman treatment meted out to Saheed. However, confronted with the weight of evidence gathered from our private investigation into the incident, they were left with no other choice than to confess their acts.
“These acts are unlawful killing of both Omonyahuy and Amusa in violation of their fundamental right to life; unlawful interception of Omonyahuy’s telephone line; unlawful cruel and inhuman treatment meted out to Okewole in contravention of his right to dignity of human person as well as his unlawful incarceration.”
Abayomi urged the chairman, NHRC, not only to redress the violations by the policemen but to also recommend such to the Attorney-General for immediate prosecution.
He said taking such actions would serve as a deterrent to other policemen.
At the time of the alleged murder, the then Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, said Oladapo indeed shot and killed the victims but said the act was done on the assumption that the deceased were armed robbers.
When contacted, the PPRO, Ngozi Braide, said she was unaware of the case but promised to find out from the SCID.
