Hello Friends!
Most times when I read about stories like this, I pray that true justice would find its course timely and would be deemed served. I remember reading this story some months back and could not understand why Mr Niyi was brutally murdered!
The present petition by his family, is a welcoming event.
The family of Niyi Ehindero, a businessman who was allegedly killed in Mushin by soldiers attached to the Lagos State Security outfit code named Operation MESA on January 5, 2012, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar; and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, over the killing.
In a petition titled, ‘Petition against one Second Lieutenant Matthew attached to OP MESA, Lagos, for the unlawful killing of Mr. Niyi Ehindero,’ the solicitor for the family, Mr. Rotimi Aladesanmi, urged the police and army authorities to bring the culprits to book.
He said, “On January 5, 2012, around 4pm, the deceased was in his vehicle in company of a male friend on Bada Street, Mushin, when they heard gunshots from an adjoining street. Suddenly, men of the said OP MESA stormed the street to challenge the deceased.
“They reportedly ordered him out of his vehicle and in the process of stepping out in compliance; he was shot in the groin at point blank range by the said Matthew. He died on the spot while his (deceased) friend, who was with him in the vehicle, fled for his life into one of the houses nearby and was unsuccessfully pursued by the soldiers.
“It is in this regard that we humbly request a thorough investigation into this dastardly act to apprehend all the culprits involved in order to bring them to justice.
“The deceased life has been prematurely cut short for no lawful reason but we have the belief that the wheels of justice would surely grind to the appropriate end of meting out justice to all concerned.”
Lieutenant Olaniyi Osoba, the spokesperson for the 9 Brigade, the military formation overseeing the OP MESA, told PUNCH Metro that the case was being investigated by the Special Investigation Bureau of the Nigerian Army.
Although Osoba did not give details of the status of the investigations, it was gathered that the OP MESA team, including Matthew, who allegedly killed Ehindero, were interrogated recently.
“The SCIB of the Nigerian Army as well as the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police have intensified investigations. So, let’s wait to see the outcome. The case is sensitive. I don’t want to say anything that will pre-empt investigation,” Osoba said.
When our correspondent visited the scene of the incident at Mushin on Saturday, it was learnt that detectives attached to the SCID as well as a team of military policemen, had visited the area but none of the residents came forward to give evidence.
A member of the Odi Olowo Police Community Relations Committee, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that it was difficult to convince witnesses to come forward because they did not trust security agencies.
He said, “Mushin is a violence-prone area and security agencies have, in the past, taken sides with some of the warring factions. In fact, on the day Ehindero was killed, policemen were seen guarding a faction of the warring parties. So, how can they be trusted?
“In developed countries, there is something called witness protection whereby a witness in a sensitive case is protected by the government until the end of the case. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, when you are a witness in a sensitive case like murder, your life could be in danger because security agencies cannot be completely trusted.”
Osoba however urged witnesses to come forward and provide the army with information that could aid investigations.
“Eyewitnesses need to come forward to aid investigations because it is only the people who witnessed the incident that can explain what really happened on that fateful day. No one should be afraid, this is a democratic dispensation and it will be wrong to label the Nigerian Army as an enemy of the people,” Osoba said.
Our correspondent reports that extrajudicial killings by security operatives have been on the rise in recent times.
Our correspondent learnt that between January and March 2012, at least six of such cases were reported in Lagos alone.
On January 9, 2012, Divisional Police Officer, Pen Cinema, Mr. Segun Fabunmi, allegedly killed one Ademola Abiodun during the anti-fuel subsidy removal protests in the Ogba area of the state.
Similarly, on February 12, 2012, one Corporal Kazeem Shittu attached to Onikere Police Division, Lagos, allegedly killed a 56-year-old employee of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Daniel Nigeria, while trying to extort N50 from a bus conductor.
Also, on February 15, 2012, one Inspector Niyi Oladapo attached to Igando Police Division, Lagos, allegedly killed two company drivers, Sikiru Amusa and Endurance Omoyahouy, and labelled them armed robbers after the dastardly act.
The Executive Director of a human rights group, Project Alert, Dr. Josephine Chukwuma, attributed the trend to culture of impunity among security agencies.
Chukwuma said the figure could be much higher than what was being reported.
She said, “The cases of extra-judicial killing being perpetrated by security operatives are on the rise because they (security operatives) are hardly brought to book.
“See the case of DPO Fabunmi for instance. The police authorities have kept us in the dark for over three months, whereas he (Fabunmi) should have served as a deterrent to others.
“I even think cases of extra-judicial killings are far higher than is being reported by the media. If six cases were reported in Lagos alone, how many were recorded in other states?”
Source: Punch Metro.
xoxo
Simply Cheska...
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