By Eric Elezuo
The rate at which the Nigeria Police exert ex-judicial killing against the younger population has become very alarming. Only last weekend, the death of Remo stars of Sagamu player, Tiamiyu Kazeem aka Kaka, was reported. Kaka had been pushed off a moving vehicle and was crushed to death by another on rushing vehicle along the Sagamu expressway.
And as if there is a silent collusion, the police authorities immediately defended their own, saying that Kaka jumped off on his own to evade arrest
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, told the world that Kazeem died after he jumped off a moving police truck while attempting to evade arrest and interrogation. He also said Kazeem was arrested for wearing army fatigues.
Hear him:
“A police inspector attached to Zonal Intervention Squad, Obada-Oko, in Abeokuta, was said to have received information about the deceased that he was always putting on military apparel knowing fully well that he was not a military personnel.
“Based on the information, the inspector went to Sagamu and saw the deceased putting on a military cap consequent upon which he got him arrested,” the police spokesperson said.
But a witness to the murder, Sanni Abubakar, said the police lied about how his friend was killed at the hands of personnel of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and went ahead to tell the story of what transpired.
While Nigerians continue to wonder at the kind of mentality that permits a uniform personnel to brazenly take the life of an innocent person, it still remains a mystery why a lie can be concocted by superior authorities to defend the murder. It can only mean that the likes PPRO Abimbola Oyeyemi is complicit to the atrocities, and should be made to explain why he fed the world the half truth.
Kazeem is not the only one as countless other youths have met their untimely deaths in the hands of the men in black.
Recall that in August 2019, four policemen identified as Inspector Fabiyi Omomayara, Sergeant Olaniyi Solomon, Sergeant Solomon Sunday and Corporal Aliyu Mukaila, were captured on tape killing two boys in the Igando area, in broad day light, who were alleged to be phone thieves. Many months after, the matter has remained under the carpet.
Earlier in July, Inspector Ogunyemi Olalekan and Sergeant Godwin Orji, both attached to the police Anti-Cultism Squad, were pencilled for killing one Johnson while on his way to watch a football match in Lagos. Much as the police assured that justice will be done, the matter still remains unresolved.
These are just a few of the lot as men of the Nigeria Police, especially SARS and anti-cultism squad, continue to snuff the life out of young victims. It appears that once a young man appears flashy or rich; he must be a fraudster, better known as ‘yahoo yahoo’.
Notwithstanding campaigns aimed at ending SARS and the Vice President’s clampdown on the outfit, the harassments and killings have failed to stop, but increased in proportion.
As usual, after the brutal death of Kazeem, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Adamu Mohammed ordered the disbandment of SARS satellite offices nationwide.
How far those measures will go remain to be seen as every measure put in place to check the blood thirsty nature of most police officers has so far not been fruitful.
One would think that a more stringent measure be applied. The type that will claim the position of a top ranking officer at the misdeamour of his officers. By so doing, the offense of these trigger happy officers will be shared with their superiors, thereby bringing in more monitoring. In this way, the superiors will be able to rein in their flocks when they know that their jobs are on the kind for their officers mistake.
It must not continue to be business as usual, and lives of innocent youths continue to be wasted while no one is punished.
It’s time to save our youths
