How Ibadan DPO was murdered in suspected kidnappers’ den

 

FROM OLUSEYE OJO, IBADAN

Fragile peace currently pervades Adekile in Ori­ta-Aperin area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Four persons were said to have lost their lives over a clash that ensued when a suspected kid­nappers’ den was discovered in the community last Wednesday.

The victims, Daily Sun gathered, include a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who was a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), in Agodi Area Command, Ibadan, two boys in the community and an old man found in the building suspected to be the kidnappers’ den.

It was further learnt that the pandemonium began when a child, who was said to have been missing for several days, was found in the underground apartment of the alleged building, which is opposite Ibadan Grammar School, Orita- Aperin. The youths refused to give the details and how the child could be located.

The police were said to have been alerted to the development, which allegedly led to the arrest of the owner of the building. Eyewitnesses said the deceased DPO led the team of policemen to the scene.

On getting to the scene, the cops reportedly met a mob, which welcomed their arrival. But the situation went violent when the law enforcement agents prevented the irate youths in the community from destroying the suspected building. Sources said the angry youths discountenanced the directives that they should not take the law into their hands and pelted the policemen with stones.

When Daily Sun visited the scene, the house and the two buildings beside it had been set ablaze. The youths were also seen with hammers, clubs, chisel and other equipment, as they went about destroying the houses. It was also an opportunity for some people to loot personal belongings and other items found in the building.

As soon as the angry youths sighted this reporter and the photojournalist alighting from the motorcycle that took them to the scene, they mistook them for policemen. They called the attention of other youths and they were shouting: “Kill them. We will kill you. What do you want here?” They approached the journalists with dangerous weapons.

But the newshounds too quickly responded by shouting that they were journalists. And when it appeared many of the youths did not understand English, the two informed the restless residents in Yoruba that they were reporters. Some of them demanded the journalists’ identification. And when they saw the identity cards, they provided security for the journalists among themselves and offered to take the journalists round the scene.

The first place they led the journalists to was the spot where the dead body of an old man was laid. Different sorts of charms were placed beside the lifeless body. Then, the youths led the newsmen to the suspected kidnappers’ building.

Some holes that looked like wells were sighted in the building. Ladders were also sighted inside some of the holes. But they warned the journalists not to attempt going down into any of the holes, noting that special security might be needed to get there.

In one of the rooms in the building, two police uniforms were sighted. While one is sky blue, the other one is black. But the two bear the same name. The name on the uniform is Akinbehinje Felix and the service number on it is 508347.

In a chat with Daily Sun on why they killed a policeman, some of the angry youths alleged that the police started the confrontation by shooting one of them, simply identified as Rilwan. According to them, Rilwan died immediately. This, they claimed, forced them to go haywire, adding that they thought the policemen were trying to shield the man from them, as they had planned to mete out some jungle justice to him.

“We responded by stoning them. When they began to shoot at us, some of us too responded by firing at them. For me, I don’t have a gun and I have never touched one before. But some of the youths in this community have guns. I don’t know them. All I know is that the police fired at us and some of us too fired back,” said a boy, who refused to mention his name.

But how the DPO was killed was not yet known as at the time of filing this report. While some said he was shot dead, other people said he was stoned and later butchered.

The youths also explained how the old man whose lifeless body was found beside the building was killed. One young man told the reporter that the man probably thought people in the area had gone to their different homes at about 10:30p.m on Wednesday, adding that the man did not know that many youths were hiding around, waiting to see who would enter or come out of the building at night.

“The man came out of the building in the night and the youths saw traces that a person had come out of the place. But he too saw the people and started dodging them. He was proving stubborn when he was accosted. They saw many charms on him. They asked him where he was coming from and where he was going, but he could not give satisfactory answers,” the young man said.

Asked whether any of the youths knew the dead man in the community, another boy responded: “We don’t know the man in this community. But we identified him in one of the pictures that were brought out of the building. We have never seen him here.”

A resident of Adekile, who introduced himself as Mr. Sola Ezekiel, told this reporter: “There is an underground apartment in this building. They kill people there. What happened here is a sad development. If we have a government in Oyo State, they should investigate what happened here.

“We have seen a lot of people that died here. I want to know whether the allegation that the building is a kidnappers’ den is true or not. A lot of charms were found in the building. We also want to know the owner of the house, whether the person is alive or not.”

Another youth, who introduced himself as Mr. Titilope Oluwole, also told the reporter: “I was here on Wednesday, but the policemen did not allow anybody to enter. The police shot one boy. His name is Rilwan. He should be about 25 years. The police shot him because he was one of the youths that insisted that they must enter the building but the police refused. When the pressure was much, they shot him. I don’t know anything about whether a policeman died or not. If any policeman died, it did not happen in this vicinity.”

When asked why they also burnt the two buildings beside the suspected den of kidnappers, one of the youths simply responded: “There is no way kidnapping activities would be going on here and the people living in the other two buildings would not know about it. This is why we also punished them.”

The name and service number on the police uniform found in one of the rooms in the suspected building was also given to a police source, who works in the state Police Command. He promised to work on it and get back to the reporter.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Mohammed Katsina, has vowed to ensure that those involved in the murderer of the DPO would be arrested and made to face justice.

While conducting the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, round the scene of the incident, the police boss stated that the slain police officer went to Adekile in response to a distress call by one of the residents in the area, who alleged that her baby was kidnapped and kept inside a particular building at Adekile.

According to Katsina, the DPO visited the area and inspected the building in question but could not find anything relating to the lodged complaints.

But while he was explaining to the youths in the area to remain calm, as further investigation would be carried out, the DPO was attacked and shot in the head.

Katsina explained that the DPO, being a gallant officer, also managed to fire at his attacker before he fell down. The attacker reportedly died on the way to the hospital.

The police boss reiterated the commitment of the police force to ensuring that all culprits in the DPO attack were arrested to face the wrath of the law.

Governor Ajimobi, in his response, appealed to the people of the state to avoid violence in all ramifications, noting that no development could take place in an atmosphere of violence.

He pledge his support to the police to ensure that the perpetrators of the devilish act were brought to book.

As at the time of filling this report, the entire Adekile area still being closely watched by armed policemen.