Just last week, Ilorin and its suburbs were nearly engulfed in serious uproar following two ugly incidents that could have been ordinarily avoidable. UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB reports about them.
It was wailing and gnashing of teeth as sypathisers gathered at the scene of two different tragic incidents that have thrown residents of Ilorin and its environs to mourning following reported deaths.
The two tragic incidents occured on Thursday morning last week when some residents were just resuming for work on that fateful day.
From Ilorin, Kwara state capital to its environs in Jimba-Oja, a suburb in Ifelodun local government area of the state, news about the tragic deaths of four persons killed in cold blood rented the air.
When a police officer went berserk
In the first unfortunate incident, a police sergeant Olalere Michael, went berserk killing a woman simply identified as Tosin, belived to be his mistresses and also shoot himself dead.
Sadly, the shooting and killings took place inside a school premises of Chapel of Redemption (UMCA), Agba Dam Housing Estate, Gaa Akanbi, Ilorin where Redemption Model Nursery and Primary School is located
It was indeed a gory sight for staff and innocent pupils of the school and chapel who resumed for school on that that ill- fated day only to be greeted with such horrific moment of their life.
Blueprint gathered that the incident occurred at about 8:00am around a busy hour when parents were just dropping their children and wards in schools for the day’s academic activities.
The spokesman of the state police command, Okasanmi Ajayi, confirmed the incident to journalists.
How killer sergeant gunned victim
It was gathered that the policeman had been on the trail of his deceased female friend around the school premises for some time before the Thursday that the incident happened.
He was also said to have visited the family house of the deceased female friend located at Erin-Ile Road, Gaa Akanbi few days ago to allegedly attack her with cutlass over a misunderstanding between them.
It was also gathered that the deceased MOPOL sergeant had entered the school premises at about few minutes before 8:00am in his brand new Toyota Corolla car earlier than his female friend, who had later brought her daughter to the school.
The police officer was said to have brought out his AK-47 rifle and shot Tosin on the chest three times before she died on the spot.
It was gathered that the MOPOL sergeant thereafter stood the rifle on the ground, aimed his throat and used his leg to pull the trigger and his head was blown off with the single shot and he also died on the spot.
Love affair goes sour
Confirming the incident, the spokesman of Kwara State Police Command Okasanmi Ajayi said that the deadly incident was an aftermath of a love affair gone sour and that it has nothing to do with police brutality.
According to a statement by the police, “At about 08:05 hours of March 2, 2023, information reached the command that a man in police uniform later identified by his uniform and name tag as F/NO 497093. Sergeant Olalere Michael “Male” later known to be attached to 15 PMF, Ilorin went to Chapel of Redemption Agba Dam Housing Estate in Ilorin and shot and killed a yet-to-be-identified lady, then shot himself in the head and died.
“Immediately after the information got to the command, the Commissioner of Police for Kwara state, CP Paul Odama, dispatched a team of policemen and detectives to the scene, where the corpses were recovered and deposited at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital where the bodies were certified dead
“The command wishes to state clearly that the deadly incident was an aftermath of love gone sour and that it has nothing to do with police brutality.
“Meanwhile, investigation of this unfortunate incident is in progress, and the report of the investigation would be made public as soon as it is ready,” Ajayi said in a statement
Man, son killed in auto crash.
While the dust raised by the unfortunate incident was yet to settled, the news of tragic death of a man and his young male child in an auto crash same Thursday also broke out.
The incident occured along Jimba Oja, Idofian in the Ifelodun local government area of the state .
It was gathered that the deceased who were yet to be identified, were riding on a wine colour Bajaj motorcycle, MUN957QA, also known as okada when a lemon green Toyota Camry car rammed into them.
The car with registration number LEM568TK, was said to be on a high speed.
Rage, protest trailed killings
But unlike the police incident which have thrown many to confusion, the accident scene drew the anger of some youths who took to the street to protest the incident.
They were worried that the incessant carnage on the road
have claimed the lives many innocent Nigerians calling for an urgent action to halt the trend.
It was gathered that the incident led to protest by residents of the community as they expressed their grievances over frequent accidents and high fatality rate in the area of late.
When contacted, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Frederick Ade Ogidan, confirmed the incident to news men.
He said the two occupants in the Toyota Camry were injured while the man and his boy were later confirmed dead at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin.
The text of the statement reads that, “The command is looking at putting some rumbling stripes along the road to reduce speed because bumps would worsen the situation.
“We have succeeded in calming the protesting youths and advised them to always use helmet when riding Okada and look very well before entering the road”, he added.
