Tricycle operator, Mr. Godwin Ekpo, whose wife, Idongesit, was killed by a police corporal, Aremu Museliu, in the Ijegun area of Lagos State, laments that his children no longer go to school.
Lagos State Police Command had in September, announced that it will sponsor the education of the children of Ekpo.
Mr Ekpo and wife were shot at by a police corporal while they were returning from a church in his tricycle on the night of Wednesday, September 16, 2015. Unfortunately, his wife and breadwinner of the family died on the spot while Ekpo luckily survived as only his right shoulder and jaw were hit by the bullet.
Mr. Ekpo was moved over to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) where he was operated on under the supervision of the Chief Medical Director of the hospital and the hospital bill allegedly paid by the police.
Corporal Aremu was arrested, dismissed and charged to court for murder.
Based on what was gathered, Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase assured Mr. Ekpo and family that the police will help him to get a job, enroll his kids in school and give his wife a befitting burial. Afraid that it could be mere words, Mr. Ekpo accepted the intervention of a human right activist, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, who led a delegation to visit Ekpo in the hospital.
Currently residing with his children at his in-law's house, Mr. Ekpo stated his initial fear had been confirmed. In tears, he stated that despite the intervention of Dr Odumakin, Lagos State police command has refused to enroll his kids in school.
“I am scared that the police might not keep to their side of the agreement. Odumakin is well known to the world, so I hoped that they will respect her. Unfortunately, nothing has been done and we are at the mercy of my in-law while my children are out of school.”
Going down memory lane, Ekpo stated that he was on his way home with his entire family when they were accosted by a policeman who later shot him and his wife. “We were heading home from Ejigbo to Abaranje when I decided to take a shorter route through Jakande, Isheri and Ijegun. On getting to Obalagbe bus stop, Ijegun, I slowed down because there was a group of policemen but in a matter of seconds, one of them hit me with his gun while I was still on motion.
“I stopped to inquire what my offence was but the man shouted that I should keep quiet and give them N2000. I told them that I was not on duty but was heading home with my entire family. They even saw my wife and kids, inside the tricycle. One of the men asked us to go, but as soon as I entered the tricycle, I heard a gunshot. I discovered that the bullet had hit my shoulder and lower part of my jaw. I jumped down in pains trying to understand what happened when my children started crying and shouting that mummy is dying. She died at the spot. It was then that I ran back to ask them what my offence was that they wanted to eliminate my family. As soon as they realised what happened, they jumped into their van and ran away,” he narrated.
Helpless, Ekpo, who knew that he needed to survive by all means for the sake of his children, dragged himself to a nearby hospital within the area. The hospital refused to attend to him when they realised that it was during a confrontation with the police that he was shot.
“Luckily, a passerby, who saw my situation, had pity on me and conveyed me to Igando General Hospital where they also insisted that I should bring police report. Luckily, policemen from Isheri asked them to treat me since the IG had instructed them to treat emergency gunshot wound. I was treated and later transferred to LUTH.
“On our way, we met the area commander and so many police officers. He promised that the police will take care of the treatment, my children and my wife’s burial and also compensate me. They also informed me that the policeman involved had been arrested and would be dismissed the next day.”
Although the Lagos Police command had paid the entire hospital bill and embalmment of the body of his wife, Ekpo lamented that his children are still at home while he has not been compensated.
“They promised to help me establish a business and send my children to school but nothing has been done yet. They only paid for my treatment and embalmment of my late wife’s body. Dr. Joe Odumakin asked them to document every promise that they made to me, so that they will not deny it in future. The woman is in charge of everything, and I would want her to handle everything and make sure justice is got, and I will also want the police to meet with her and reach an agreement in her presence, that is what I want, so that they will not disappoint me in the future.
“My greatest concern is that my children are still at home. I am jobless and cannot afford to send them back to school. Since the police have failed to keep to their promise, I am begging Nigerians to pity my children and send help my way. I need an accommodation and money to send my children back to school. I am a graduate and can do anything just to support my family. We have been staying with my brother-in-law ever since the incident happened. I had to relocate for security reasons. The Commissioner of Police, who I thought was a good man, promised to give me a job but has not done anything. They have abandoned me,” he lamented.
On what he is expecting from the police, Ekpo said: “I want a good accommodation and a huge sum of money as settlement. This will enable me to take care of my children until they are independent. I want my children to be sent to the best school in Nigeria and my wife a befitting burial. I also need money to start up a business. I know the type of business that I want to do. I can no longer drive a tricycle again because of my situation. My right hand has been disfigured by the bullet wound,” he stated.
Meanwhile, his in-law, Nkereuwem also pleaded with the Commissioner of Police to keep to his promise.
“It is unfortunate that I lost my sister that day, I pray that her soul will not stop to rest in peace. The police promised to take care of Ekpo and his family but they have abandoned them. I do not know what the problem could be,” he stated.
However, Lagos State police command insists that it is committed to ensuring that Mr. Ekpo and his family are rehabilitated while his wife would be given a befitting burial. As stated by the state spokesman, DSP Joe Offor, the only setback that they have is the inability of Mr. Ekpo and family to come forward and discuss the terms of settlement.
“We are worried that his innocent kids are out of school because of the inability of their father to come forward and choose a school for them,” he stated.
On what the police had done since the incident occurred, Offor said: “As soon as we got information on what happened, CP Owoseni sent a Deputy Commissioner of Police to visit the scene of crime. It was on the day the wife of the Deputy Managing Director of The Sun newspapers, Steve Nwosu was released by kidnappers. We were still celebrating her release when we got the news that a policeman shot at a couple and the wife died. Hours later, the CP moved to Idimu where the incident happened and ordered that he be transferred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). He also convinced the Chief Medical Director (CMD) who was not in the country to cut short his trip to come and personally supervise the surgery.
“The CP also made arrangement and moved the kids to stay with a woman police when their father was in the hospital. Within that period, the man was in the hospital, our CP was responsible for the upkeep of the children and ensured that he got the best attention as requested by the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase. Meanwhile, a day after the incident, the policeman, who committed the offence, was dismissed from the service and charged to court for murder,” Offor explained.
As stated by him, the IGP also requested that since the woman was the breadwinner of the house, the welfare of the man and children should be top on the list of things to do to compensate the family.
“We were making meaningful progress, when Dr Joe Odumakin decided to hijack the case. It all started with rumours that Mr. Ekpo died which was later debunked by the hospital repeatedly. He was finally discharged and the command paid the entire bill. This can be confirmed from the hospital. The CP maintained a close relationship with Mr. Ekpo and family and also invited him to come so that we could find a good school for his children and also help him to become a confident breadwinner of his family. His lawyer stated that the matter had been hijacked by an NGO.
“After the man was discharged, we invited him to make statement as the suspect needs to be prosecuted so that we can conclude investigation. We alerted him on the command’s decision to enroll his children in school and the possibility of meeting the family on the burial of his wife.
Since then, we have been waiting for him,” he also stated.
Throwing more light on what could be the problem, Offor explained that the command was shocked when they started seeing publications alleging police brutality.
“When Dr Odumakin visited the CP, she acknowledged and commended all the things that were done to assist Mr. Ekpo and family. We were surprised that she printed T-shirts with the picture of the deceased and forced those innocent children to wear it and go on protest. This is a clear case of child abuse. She is not worried that while her own children are in school, those innocent kids are forced to stay at home just to prove a point that police neglected them.
“We are worried and hope that Nigerians and other relevant agencies will call her to order. As a mother, we expect her to consider that she is playing with the future of those innocent children. Children should not be used as an instrument of blackmail. The Nigerian police has accepted responsibility, arrested the suspect, dismissed him from police force and charged him to court.
We only ask that Mr Ekpo, who had been our friend, should come with members of his family, not a third party.”
When contacted through mail, Odumakin assured that her organization will pursue the case to a logical end.
She added: “The kids are yet to return to school because then, the late woman had mainly been responsible for the family’s upkeep until the very recently that the husband got that tricycle on hire purchase to complement. More so, the police authorities promised to take responsibilities for the children’s education but at the moment, there has been no concrete decision taken in that direction.”
As stated by her, the only way forward is that justice must be served in the interest of the dead, the family left behind and the society at large adding that “everything needed be done to ensure that the family is rehabilitated so as to ease the psychological trauma that they are currently going through.”