Agang of armed robbers shattered the peaceful atmosphere on Babaloja Street in Iyana Cele community, off Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ifo in a tragic manner penultimate Sunday. The hoodlums, numbering six, were initially resisted by a night guard, who fled into hiding after he had fruitlessly fired shots to repel the invaders, who were said to be armed to their teeth.
Witnesses said a welder in the neighbourhood, Paul Adesanwo, who rushed out of his home to see what was going on, was silenced by two shots fired at his head by the gunmen. He fell and died in a pool of blood. The gunmen were then said to have moved into the deceased’s home, broke into a safe and removed some money kept there by the deceased welder while they locked up his wife and moved into another building.
Recalling the tragic incident, the bereaved wife of the slain welder, Kehinde Adesanwo, said: “My husband and I were in bed when the night guard hired to protect the street started shouting thief! thief! at about 1 am on Sunday, October 15.
“My husband thought the man was chasing someone who had come to steal our chickens, so he rushed out to see who the thief was, not knowing that it was actually some armed robbers that were chasing the night guard.
“As soon as he came out, the robbers sighted him, asked him to lie down on his face and shot him dead.
“After killing my husband, they entered our apartment, brought out their rifles and loaded them with bullets. They used a saw to destroy the gun they had collected from the night guard.
“The person that killed my husband was called Ojueje (bloody eye), and they left after collecting the key to my husband’s car.’’It was said that the gunmen moved to another building and ended the promising life of a police officer, Eric Olu Akinmusiyitan a.k.a. Osha, exactly eight days after he lost his 18-year-old daughter, Temilola, who died after a brief illness.
Akinmusiyitan, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to Ijoko Division in Ogun State, who was still grieving over the loss of his daughter, was said to have taken some drugs that would enable him to sleep well after observing some prayers for his departed daughter in the evening of that day.
The hoodlums, who had also killed a welder, were said to have scaled the fence into his compound and threatened to kill all the occupants of the house if they failed to open the door to the building.
Speaking with our correspondent, the wife of the deceased 48-year-old police officer, Mrs. Kehinde Akinmuyiitan, said: “My children are still small. In fact, I am seriously grieving because I have lost my daughter and husband within one week. A lot of money was spent on my daughter’s sickness before she died while my husband was also killed within the same week,’’ Akinmusiyitan’s wife lamented.
She added: “The incident occurred around 1 am. I heard a noise and decided to check on my children when I started hearing sporadic gunshots. I woke my husband up from sleep and rushed to the toilet to pee.fully armed.
“When I called the night guard on his phone, he explained that he and others chased the robbers and that they escaped with a car brought by some policemen.
“He said the robbers chased him and turned back after he dropped his rifle on the ground while he was fleeing, following which he alerted the So Safe Corps, who in turn informed the police.
“Men of the Ifo Division who came there were overwhelmed and the robbers actually escaped in the car brought by the policemen.”
Adesugba explained that Akimusuyimi’s wife told him that the robbers killed her husband in her presence.
He said: “She told me the hoodlums were pushing the main gate to their building in their bid to gain entry and that she immediately woke her husband.
“She said that as soon as the robbers came into their compound, her husband said he had a feeling that they came for him. She said subsequently, the robbers said they respected my husband and would not harm him.
“However, as they were leaving the policeman’s apartment, one of the robbers turned back and shot him three times in the chest and stomach, and he died.