Crimes

Lagos lawyer’s husband: How policeman killed my wife

Gbenga Raheem, the husband of a female lawyer, Omobolanle, who was shot dead by an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Drambi Vandi, in the Ajah area of Lagos State has disclosed how his wife was killed.

The Star had reported that ASP Vandi, attached to Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah, allegedly shot and killed Raheem on Christmas Day.

It was gathered that the lawyer, her sister, and other family members were returning from an outing in their car when the police officer tried to stop them.

The woman was said to have tried to make a U-turn under the Ajah Bridge when the ASP allegedly shot at her vehicle and the bullet hit her.

The Lagos-based lawyer was rushed to a hospital where she was confirmed dead.

Speaking on Monday when sympathisers visited his house in the Ajah area of Lagos, the deceased husband 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.

“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,” Gbenga narrated.

Speaking on the incident via a statement issued on Monday, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated that the ASP has been arrested.

He noted that two other police officers who were with the ASP were also arrested for interrogation.

“Unfortunate and avoidable incident that was. The ASP that shot and two others with him have since been taken into custody.

“They are to be moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, for further investigations,” Hundeyin added.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, had also ordered the speedy prosecution of the officers responsible for the shooting and killing of the lawyer.

The Star