Family members of the late Monsurat Ojuade, the teenager who was allegedly killed by a police officer over the weekend, have accused police authorities of not being sincere about how their daughter was killed.
Police in a statement after the incident had claimed that the deceased was killed by a stray bullet.
But members of the family and neighbours alleged that the erring police officer deliberately shot the teenager in her compound after she had run for safety with other people.
A resident of the area, Sesan, who recounted the ordeal said, that “the police officer acted as if he was on drugs.”
“Despite that the girl ran for safety with other people, he shot her on her thigh and all efforts to save her were not successful,” Sesan said.
Another neighbour of the family who didn’t mention her name said police were trying to shield the officer that committed the crime, adding that it an effort to save him from the wrath of the law.
“We can no longer trust the police again. How can they issue a statement that it was a stray bullet when lots of people witnessed what happened? They even hide the name of the officer. All these are to pervert justice. But I know that God will fight for us,” the neighbour said.
Family employs legal counsel, seeks justice
Meanwhile, the family through a lawyer had demanded justice and better explanation of the deceased’s death.
This is even as the family’s lawyer, Israel Mbaebie, via a statement demanded the identity of the police officer that fired the bullet that killed the teenager.
A statement by the lawyer said, “Our clients, and nay the whole world at large demands forthwith to know the true identity of the individual who murdered their innocent 18-year-old daughter in cold blood.
“Any other thing to the contrary would be perceived as an attempt at a cover-up on the part of the police and will be totally unacceptable to them.”
The family in the statement also demanded an explanation why the police officer “pursued an innocent girl to her compound and shot her from a very close range execution-style and casually walked away as if it was a chicken or a goat that had just been murdered.”
The statement also debunked the police statement on the matter, saying that “she was shot at a close-range execution-style by the killer police personnel. She was not killed by a stray bullet but was shot at close-range execution-style by the killer police personnel”, the statement read.
Lagos CP assures justice
Meanwhile, Lagos Police Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu on Monday had paid a condolence visit to the family of the deceased.
A statement by the state PPRO CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, Odumosu expressed heartfelt condolences to the family on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police (IG) Usman Alkali Baba and officers and men of the state command.
He assured the family of justice over the matter while he presented a letter of condolence to them.
“While expressing regret over the unfortunate incident, the CP prayed for the repose of Monsurat’s soul, and also prayed that God grant the bereaved family the fortitude to bear the great loss,” Ajisebutu said.