Gbenga, the husband of a Lagos-based female lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, who was shot dead by a trigger-happy Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) on Christmas day in Ajah, has narrated how his wife was killed.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Nigerians on social media are horrified and outraged as an ASP shot dead Bolanle in Ajah area of Lagos State on Christmas Day.
The policeman attached to the Ajiwe Divisional police station and his team were said to have tried to stop Raheem and her family members as they drove back home from a Christmas Day church service.
Raheem, it was gathered, was shot when the family’s car tried to make a U-turn under Ajah Bridge.
The victim was rushed to a hospital but was confirmed dead.
According to a voice recording from one of the lawyers who visited the deceased’s family, the victim’s husband, Gbenga, explained: “On December 25, my wife, nieces, nephews, and cousins, who had come for the holiday, all went to church. On our way back, my wife said since it was Christmas Day, we should take everyone out, so, we went to a supermarket at Abraham Adesanya, then to Domino’s Pizza.
“After that, we headed towards Ajah to do a U-turn to come back to Abraham Adesanya. When we took the U-turn, we saw policemen stopping some vehicles. As we approached them, they said we should stop, and in the process, we heard a loud sound on my wife’s side window. All of a sudden, I saw blood gushing out of her chest.
“I immediately ran out; my sister-in-law, who was also with us, ran out and held the policeman; he cocked his gun at her too. Talking to him was pointless, so I went to see if anything could be done; I saw my wife gasping for breath, and by that time, my sister-in-law had brought the policeman into the car and pushed him into the front seat.
“We drove to a hospital but they said they couldn’t handle it; we eventually took her to Grandville Hospital, where she was confirmed dead. The policemen took her body and put it in the truck; they wanted me to follow them but I said I needed to go and settle my children.”
This is getting clearer now. It’s likely to be a case of accidental discharge. It’s not that the police ran away immediately it happened, they joined in taking the victim to two hospitals and eventually to their station. We have been told that Nigerian police officers usually release the safety pin of their AK47 gun at all time, thereby making the gun to fire involuntarily when the trigger is inadvertently pulled. If the safety pin is not released, even when the trigger is pulled, the gun will not fire. The ASP is a senior officer who perhaps led the team. Ordinary, he would not have any business talking to vehicle drivers, the junior officers in his team would do that while complex cases would be brought to his attention. He had no reason to have fired any shot if not for the accidental discharge.
I don’t know why in Nigeria we want to defend the indefensible.What kind of accidental discharge was that reckless and irresponsible act.In fact,it is a case of gross professional misconduct.PERIOD.
Well,don’t let us preempt the law.All I think is necessary is to let the law take its course.ln the layman’s view,it is inexusable and unheared- of that an Ass Superintendent of Police,who is suppose to be over-seeing events should be the one acting that drama of absurdity.pitiable and heart-rendering!