Two
years ago, the trio of Divisional Police Officer, DPO; Divisional Crime
Officer, DCO and the Operational Officer of Badagry police division, Lagos were
murdered in cold blood by people suspected to be soldiers at the Recce
Battalion Barrack, Bereko, Badagry, Lagos while on their way to honour alleged
official invitation by the Commanding officer.
In
spite of the dust raised by the killing which many considered uncalled for,
nothing has been heard again about the ugly incident. Worse still, widows
of the slain officers have been left to bear their agonizing pains all alone
while those that perpetrated the heinous crime are yet to be tried.
Wife
of one of the dead officers, DCO, Sampson Okeduisi who was still in mourning
mood spoke with Crime Guard at Magbon, near Badagry. The widow, Omotayo
Okeduisi decried government’s alleged insincerity and failure to investigate
and prosecute killers of the superior cops.
Excerpts:
“My
name is Omotayo Okeduisi, widow of the late Divisional Crime Officer of Badagry
Police Division who was killed while on active duty.
How
he was killed.
My
husband was among the three police officers that were murdered by
soldiers at the Recce Battalion, Barrack, Bereko, two years ago, precisely on
May 24, 2011 while on official duty. He went along side with his late DPO, Mr.
Samuel Salusi and Officer in charge of Operation, Mr. Taofeek Afolabi, an
Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, to the Barrack to negotiate for peace
as well as lasting mutual co-existence between the police and their Army
counterparts.
*Late
Okeduisi & widow Omotayo
I
was told that there was an earlier misunderstanding between the soldiers and
the Police over alleged killing of a soldier by Lagos State Rapid
Response Squad, RRS, for a yet–to-be disclosed issue. The RRS men were taken
hostage to the barrack and purportedly detained. The soldiers, apparently, in
what appeared to be a revenge mission, decided to attack any policeman on
sight, thereby causing commotion and panic in the state. My husband and the two
others went to the barrack on the invitation of the General Officer,
Commanding, GOC, but they never returned.
Life
without bread winner.
Since
my husband died, the family has been subjected to untold hardship as a result
of the killing of the bread winner. We have been living from hand to mouth
because we do not receive any assistance from any body, including the police,
where he spent his active years, the Army that killed him or the government.
Gratuity
and other benefits
My
husband had only six months to retire before he met his untimely death. We have
gone to all places for his gratuity and filled several forms with
witnesses but nothing has happened. I even learnt from his colleagues that some
have been paid but nothing has been paid to us .It was as a result of these
hardships that my husband’s aged mother died recently. We have been surviving
on charity. I don’t know whether it is a crime to be a police man or marry one
because the police are suffering. If our husbands die, no one cares about the
widow, children and families. This kind of treatment do not happen in sister
agencies such as the Navy, Army or Air force.
Why?I
think police hate themselves. Could you believe that even those that worked
with my husband in same office before the incident have not come to see us,
talk of his colleagues from other stations. Even the D.P.O that took over the
station, same day, my husband was buried, has never find time to come and ask
us how far. Police are outdated in all things. They don’t have plans for
themselves. My husband did not die a natural death or killed by armed robbery
suspects but died in active service while negotiating for peace for the unity
and corporate existence of this country and yet, he was abandoned and neglected
by his immediate constituency.
Contact
with the authorities?
No.
I have not met any of them because when the incident occurred, both the
Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos and the Army Commander came here to
console us. The State government gave N1million each to the deceased families
but you and I know that one million naira was not enough to bury him. We
borrowed money to add to the amount to give him a befitting burial. But we have
been writing several letters to the police, Army and government but there has
not been any reply. It is unfortunate that despite our letters and appeals to
the authorities over the brutal killing of my husband and Federal Government’s
assurance to look into the matter when it happened, two years now, nothing has
been done to fish out the killers.
Content
of the letters?
I
want justice for my late husband. The soldiers that killed him are not above
the law and therefore, they should be investigated and brought to face the
law. Also, I want government to come to our aid by compensating us
adequately. I have four graduates but there is no job for them. It is not too
much for the police or government to employ his children to help the family.
Again, I want the government to establish a hall of fame to honour my husband
and others as a mark of respect for them as done by their Army counterparts.
*ASP
Afolabi Taofek battling to survive at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos, few
minutes before he died.
Relationship
with late husband
I
am his only wife, married legally in court. He has other women that had
children for him, but I am the real wife. He even wrote it in his police
form. In the morning of the day he died, I bathed with him. I prepared tea for
him in the morning of that fateful day but he did not drink the tea because he
was in a hurry. I had to pour the tea inside his office flask but he didn’t
take the tea before he died.
In
fact, he died on empty stomach because after the incident, I discovered that he
did not drink it before his demise and I poured the tea away. I served him
amala and ewedu the night before he died. He was my daddy, husband, friend and
child. We never carried over any quarrel to the next day. We were role models
to many couples and many brought their marital problems for us to settle.
We courted for five years before we got married for 18 years, which, if added
together, make a total of 23 years. No man can be like Sam. No man can replace
him in my life.
Other
wives/concubines, children and relations
I
have not been seeing any of them. No body has been asking after us or how I do
cope with my children. Even his children, from other women, have not been
showing concern. They argued that the man lived and died with me and willed all
his properties to me so I should be the one to bear his loss. But they are
waiting to grab his compensation and gratuity and that was why I‘ve stopped
processing the gratuity. Let them go for it so that my children and I would
live in peace.
Police
neglect
Police
has never done anything good before. They neglected and abandoned us. They
don’t care for themselves. Even the friends of my husband have not cared for
us. They are supposed to show love to us. I think, police should change their
method of administration to enable them give their best in the discharge of
their duties. If a police man knows that, even in death, he would be honoured,
he/her must put his/her best. Perhaps, that is why most of them misbehave.
Could you imagine that after two years, we are yet to get any of his rights?
Advise
to police /wives
Police
men should first and foremost, establish their wives in any business, trade or
craft of choice so that they would have something to rely on, in the case of
eventualities. This is necessary, because, if not for the business I am
managing, my children would have dropped out of schools and my family would
have been a laughing stock. It is difficult for dead policemen to be treated
with respect as one that had served the country faithfully. I advise their wives
not to totally rely on their husband’s income but lay their hands on something.
- See more at:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/fish-killers-husband-widow-slain-police-officer/#sthash.sAwvaUu6.dpuf
Source: Vanguard
No comments:
Post a Comment