Protector or predator? ‘Is the police still our friend?’

[Mirror]

A drunken, sneering and staggering cop with a loaded gun was simply an accident waiting to happen. Some residents of Amuwo Odofin (Lagos) are witnesses to this. Bright lost his life, Chinonso his eye, Tayo, his testicles and Ebere her hand. The blood of the dead and the injured survivors cry out for justice.

The night of August 4, 2013 was a horrible one in Amuwo Odofin, a suburb of Lagos. The residents of Diamond Estate, especially those living on Janet Fajemgbesin Street and Chief Sunny Ogbeide Close never had an inkling of impending disaster. Little did they know that Bright's bright life would fade away like a candle in the wind, leaving his 2-year-old daughter asking from time to time, "where is my daddy? I want to see my daddy".

Neither were they aware that Chinonso would lose his eye; that Tayo's testicle would be damaged or that Ebere's hand would be injured and her pregnancy threatened. They are all victims of an allegedly drunk and trigger happy cop identified as Corporal Mohammed Abubakar, who pulled the trigger and left in its wake, in the words of the late Afro Beat maestro, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, sorrow, tears and blood! It was a case of the protector becoming the predator and tormentor.

And as the residents of the street gathered on Tuesday, August 13, and observed a candle night to pay their last respects to the late Ogah Victor Ocho popularly known as Bright, several questions begged for answers: "Is the police still our friend?" "How would Nonso carry on with his life with one eye?" "How would Ebun, the late Bright's daughter, survive without his caring dad?"

"Would Tayo Ajasa be able to bear children with his damaged testicles?" When Saturday Mirror visited the streets of the shooting spree to feel the pulse of the friends and families of the victims, a day after the candle night was held for the Late Bright, tongues continued to wag.

At the residence of the late Bright, the neighbours, who were still obviously angry over the incident, bore their minds on the unfortunate incident. According to one of the residents who identified himself as Frank, "Bright was my friend, I mean, our friend.

He was friendly with everybody. I never had any premonition that his life would be cut short in just a twinkle of an eye. We had a candle night for him yesterday and everybody continued to ask questions without answers.

We wonder if the police are still our friend. This Corporal Abubakar that killed Bright and wounded many others was quite close with Bright. But look at what he did to that innocent young man. What is of importance to us now is justice. Justice must be done. Just look outside there, you will see Bright's blood. That blood is crying for justice as the heat of the sun burns it and the wind blows over it.

The policeman that killed him must be brought to justice. And the government must take care of Bright's daughter because that was what he asked for before he gave up. He said 'please take care of my daughter, Ebun'. After the birth of Ebun, her mother left and Bright has been singlehandedly taking care of her. He loves her so much but Corporal Abubakar did not allow her to enjoy her dad," Frank wailed.

Another resident, John Imokie said: "Bright was a very harmless and friendly young man bubbling with good expectations for his daughter whom he has been taking care of without a mother. The policeman before that incident was very friendly with Bright. He came to Bright's barbing saloon to barb or shave whenever he was in Lagos. That very evening, the policeman came around and Bright asked his daughter, Ebun, to greet "uncle". Little did the little girl know that the person that she called uncle would become a monster and turn her to an orphan.

Less than 30 minutes after that encounter, the police man became something else. In fact, when people say that he was drunk, I believe it was beyond drunkenness." Conducting the reporter round the scene of the shooting, Frank said "look at the bullet marks on the walls. Look at the gate, there are bullet holes there.

The policeman released several shots here. He was chasing everybody on sight. It was as if we were at a war front. He was shooting and staggering." While some people at the scene of the altercation were lucky to escape the bullets unhurt, it left Chinonso Ozemena with an indelible disability. He may never see again with his right eye. The bullet speared into it and has ravaged it almost beyond medical redemption.

"That fateful night, I came back from work and was relaxing inside the compound. I heard noise outside and decided to see what was amiss. I saw the policeman fighting with somebody.

He was in mufti. Some boys came and separated them. We thought that everything was over. He called on some of his colleagues to help him out. His police colleagues came but realised that he was drunk and asked him to go home. He, however, insisted on fighting and urged them to also fight the man he was fighting.

As his colleagues did not yield to molesting innocent people, he got angry, dashed into where he was lodging, came out with gun and starting firing indiscriminately at people. His colleagues pleaded that he should not shoot but he said that he would shoot everybody and resign from the force.

It was like a joke. When I heard the argument, I moved some steps away and before I could realise it, he started shooting and the bullet hit one of my eyes. I was admitted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. The doctors performed surgery on me. I was later discharged, but I am still feeling pains," a visibly traumatised Chinonso narrated. Chinonso has been left disabled. He wonders what would become of his life with an eye lost. But he says justice must be done and the killer cop brought to book. "I am calling on all well meaning, justice loving Nigerians to take up this case and make sure that Corporal Abubakar is brought to justice.

Nigerians and the Inspector General of Police must take this case as if we are their children and make sure that this policeman is punished appropriately. I don't know how I will live my life with one eye. I am still feeling pains all over. I am not married. What would become of my life?"

Chinonso lamented, fighting back tears. Also speaking on how the bullet burst Chinonso's eye, Ikechukwu, another resident who said that he was lucky not to have been hit by the bullets said that "It was a very disgusting sight and painfully so. The bullet burst Chinonso's eyeball open. Blood was gushing out. It was just terrible. It is something that no man would ever pray to see.

The doctors performed surgery on the eye to bring out the bullet. We thank God he did not die because if the bullet had pierced through the head, we do not know what would have happened.

But he lost his eye. It is very painful. I was with him throughout the incident, accompanied him to LUTH. The company which Corporal Abubakar was attached to, Ashanti Security Company (ASCO), paid the deposit of N146,000 for the treatment. After that, they did not do anything again. We have not seen the company since then. It was the family that took care of the other major medical expenses. I really wonder if police is still our friend. The best way to reassure us is by punishing this killer policeman and compensating the victims appropriately".

A youth leader at Amuwo Odofin, David Awom, urged the police authority to "try and do something urgently about the policeman that committed this unforgiveable crime against the innocent people he was supposed to protect. "He should be arrested and prosecuted in an open court so that all Nigerians would see that justice is done.

This has become very necessary because there are many Corporal Abubakars in the police force. Sometimes, some of these trigger happy policemen would drink, get drunk and be shooting into the gutter or into the air.

This time around, Corporal Abubakar decided to face innocent Nigerians struggling to live their lives. It is very unfortunate. The police authority must not protect bad cops in their fold, else they would continue to give the force a bad name."

Giving a chilling account of how the allegedly drunk cop almost snuffed life out of him, Tayo Ajasa, one of the victims who is presently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Festac Town, Lagos, said that he does not know if he would be able to bear children as the bullet speared through his thigh, damaging his testicle.

"I was waiting innocently at a street side fast food joint close to Bright's barbing saloon to buy noodles when the whole thing started. The policeman was causing trouble up and down. He was not in uniform.

It was only those who knew him previously that knew he was a policeman. It did not ever occur to me that the trouble would degenerate to something else as he was obviously drunk. I did not believe that the problem would lead to a trained policeman bringing out his gun and shooting innocent Nigerians.

As he was firing indiscriminately, the bullet hit my thigh, damaging my testicle. I was bleeding profusely. I was taken to the hospital, but they demanded for police report. We went and got it before they commenced treatment. It was a gory sight.

The pain was just so terrible that I cannot describe it. I thought I was going to die. It was God that saved me. I don't know if I will be able to perform intercourseually. I just had an x-ray. The doctor said he cannot confirm if my intercourseual system is okay.

"My family is footing the medical bills. The police authority has not shown up. The security company the policeman was attached to, ASCON, has not shown up. I am left here alone for my family to take care of. The government is supposed to take full responsibility for the disaster because the policeman is a government employee.

But there is nobody to take responsibility except my family. They are the ones paying the bills and feeling the pains with me," Tayo told Saturday Mirror on his hospital bed. Giving her own account of the confrontation that led to the death of Bright and left three others critically wounded, Bose Francis, the operator of the fast food joint said that they did not have any premonition that their once peaceful street would be visited by disaster. "That night, I was here selling my fast food. People were buying and going their way innocently. It was around 10 to 11 p.m.

The late Bright was inside his saloon barbing somebody's hair. So, the policeman, who was friendly with Bright as he used to barb his hair and do his shaving at Bright's saloon, called Bright to leave what he was doing and come. Bright did. He followed him.

The policeman was not wearing his uniform. He was in a short and a singlet. When they got to the drinking spot, I don't know what happened that led to the police slapping one of the men there.

That was how the trouble started. Bright was not involved in any trouble with him or anybody. None of the victims of the shooting were involved in any trouble with the policeman. So, I discovered that the boy he slapped was asking him what he had done.

The boy did not even know that he was a policeman. Some boys separated them, but before we knew it, the cop called his colleagues to come and assist him. They came but realising that he was drunk, they advised the boys to keep away from him. The policeman was not satisfied and he went inside his lodge, brought out his gun and starting shooting. I was with my baby strapped to my back. It was God who saved me and my baby from being hit by the bullet.

"Emeka, one of the victims, was standing very far from here. The policeman shot Emeka and he was shouting 'my leg, my leg.' I was so scared. Bright was standing close to his saloon, on the road. As the policeman continued to shoot, he turned his gun and faced Bright and shot him. He continued shooting while pursuing people. He faced our gate and started pumping bullets.

Ebere, a pregnant woman ran and locked the gate from inside to prevent him from entering inside the compound. It was in the process of locking the gate that the bullet hit her on her hand. She was very fortunate. If she did not lock the gate, I wondered what would have happened. Unfortunately, as Bright was being taken the hospital, he died, leaving his two-year old baby lonely. While he was down, drenched in blood, maybe he realised that he would not make it and he started begging us to please take care of his baby.

It is so sad. Bright was a gentle man. He was not a troublesome boy at all. I can't tell why he was just killed like that, leaving that innocent baby who has been asking 'where is my daddy, I want to see my daddy.' She does not deserve what life has given her at all.

The government should take over her care and make sure that she is given the best life can offer, else, the ghost of Bright would haunt this country," Bose told Saturday Mirror. Speaking in the same vein, Jackson Friday said that "the policeman was in mufti.

The man that he was fighting did not know that he was a MOPOL. So, the Mopol brought his out gun and released some shots into the air before facing other people. I was standing close to Bright's saloon. When he started shooting, and I discovered that some people were already groaning in pains, I docked inside the gutter and lay flat. I did not bother about the dirt in the gutter.

My life was more important. If only other people around were enlightened enough, they would have gone down instead of standing. Maybe because the victims knew him within the vicinity, they thought he would not shoot them. Unfortunately, Bright died and left his little daughter behind. I was shouting for help when Bright fell.

People were too scared to come out because of the sound of the gun shots. We are still wondering the manner of friend the police has been to us. It could have been me". When Saturday Mirror visited the late Bright's barbing salon, it was covered with blood stains. The two iron gates of Plot 26, Fajemgbesin Street, where the shooting took place were riddled with bullet holes.

Not even the electric pole was spared. Meanwhile, the remains of the late Bright is scheduled to be laid to rest at his home town, Ikwokwu Uwokwu, Oju Local Government Area of Benue State, within the week. According to family sources, a wake keeping was held for him on Monday, August 12, 2013. According to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Umar Manko, the police corporal responsible for the shooting spree is not with the Lagos State Police Command, but came from MOPOL 17, Akure, Ondo State.

"The corporal is not from the Lagos State Police Command. He is from MOPOL 17, Akure. He was attached to a company in Festac Town. I wonder what a mobile policeman from Akure was doing in Lagos."

National Mirror