Late Lawyer’s Husband recounts Harrowing Experience

Cursory: Reactions have continued to trail the killing of Bolanle Raheem, a Lagos-based lawyer, on Christmas Day. Bolanle was killed by a trigger-happy cop before her husband and some members of her family. The husband of the deceased, Gbenga said his wife was confirmed dead when she was taken to the hospital after the shooting.

According to the report, the incident has sparked widespread criticism, and the Lagos police command has detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and two other officers.

Following the incident, Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police, has ordered a speedy investigation and prosecution of the officer involved in the incident.

The Punch reports that when sympathisers visited the deceased’s home on Monday, December 26, Gbenga said the incident happened when he took his family Christmas shopping after church service. The newspaper was said to have obtained a voice recording of the Gbenga from one of the lawyers who visited the family.

Gbenga reportedly said: “On December 25, my wife, nieces, nephews, and cousins, who had come for the holiday, all went to church.

“On our way back, my wife said since it was Christmas Day, we should take everyone out, so, we went to a supermarket at Abraham Adesanya, then to Domino’s Pizza. After that, we headed towards Ajah to do a U-turn to come back to Abraham Adesanya.

“When we took the U-turn, we saw policemen stopping some vehicles. As we approached them, they said we should stop, and in the process, we heard a loud sound on my wife’s side window. All of a sudden, I saw blood gushing out of her chest.

He further stated:

“I immediately ran out; my sister-in-law, who was also with us, ran out and held the policeman; he cocked his gun at her too.

“Talking to him was pointless, so I went to see if anything could be done; I saw my wife gasping for breath, and by that time, my sister-in-law had brought the policeman into the car and pushed him into the front seat.

“We drove to a hospital but they said they couldn’t handle it; we eventually took her to Grandville Hospital, where she was confirmed dead. The policemen took her body and put it in the truck; they wanted me to follow them but I said I needed to go and settle my children.”

Meanwhile Peter Obi Fumes Over Killing of Lawyer Bolanle.

22023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has described her death as mindless killing. Obi said Bolanle’s killing reiterates the need for proper reforms that would meet global best practices within the police.

Obi in a series of tweets on his personal Twitter account expressed shock over the killing of Bolanle by a trigger-happy police officer deployed to the Ajiwe division, in Lagos state.

Describing the female lawyer’s killing on Christmas day as mindless, Obi said Bolanle’s death is a huge loss to her immediate and extended family. The former governor said that it should be noted that a well-trained and professional police officer will never engage in police brutality.

His words: “Like I’ve always said, a well-trained and professional police officer will not engage in police brutality. “Her killing, and the loss of many innocent lives across the nation to trigger-happy policemen, is the reason why I will embark on immediate and intrusive security sector reform and governance (SSRG).

“Relatedly, we must improve the functioning and effectiveness of the police by strengthening their civilian oversight as well as increasing their strength, materiel, financial allocation, and enhanced professional training.”

Tweeting further, Obi said that Nigeria’s policing strength should be relative to the national population and meet global standards.

He said:

“We must not allow the waste of human lives in Nigeria under any guise. May the soul of the Late Mrs Bolanle Raheem rest in perfect peace. My sincere condolence to her family. -PO”

Read Also: Nigerians Fume As Policeman Shoots Lawyer Dead on Christmas Day

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