But he was met by restless youths who demanded justice within seven days. They threatened that if they were not satisfied with the level of investigation within seven days, they would take the law into their hands by attacking policemen in the area.
It was not clear who had more men; the youths in the area, or the police who left no stone unturned to make sure that nothing happened to the number one policeman in the state.
There was palpable tension in the air at Onipanu end of Ikorodu road. No fewer than three Armoured Personnel Carriers were deployed to the area, while regular policemen and their MOPOL counterparts mounted guard in all parts of the area.
The family was already waiting outside the house of Femi Best, who was properly identified as Femi Olayiwola, at Alafia Lane, Shomolu. The youths, who were also there in large numbers, grew restless on sighting Akpoyibo.
Some of them shouted abusive songs, while other raised placards where many messages were written. Some of the placards begged for justice, while others had messages like: Muhammed Babamala, DPO Olosan, must die; You have wounded us and we will not rest until we get justice, among others.
The CP, who was flanked by his men, told the family how sorry the police were over the killing of their son. He said, “I met with some of the family members yesterday (Sunday), but I decided to meet with the larger family to say that our investigation into the killing will be transparent. Police have a duty to protect the people. We promise you that we will do everything in our power to see that justice is done.”
However, a spokesman for the youths in the area, Mr. Bula Isiak, said the youths had decided to restrain themselves for now to see what the police would do, adding that their patience was running out. “All the policemen in this area have been marked with red colour. But we are waiting for justice for our brother. We give the police one week to perform or we shall take the law into our hands,” Isiak said to a resounding applause from other youths.
But Akpoyibo, who lost his cool after the threat, said he was there to speak with the family and not listen to inflammatory speech. “We have apprehended the shooter and we are doing what the law requires in a case like this. No inflammatory speech can change the course of the law. Nobody sent the shooter to go and kill somebody. The shooter is on his own. Nobody is above the law and this shall be demonstrated in this case,” Akpoyibo said.
However, another member of the family said that the family was not at war with the police, “what we want is justice,” he added.
Throughout the visit, the widow of the deceased, Tomilayo, neither looked up nor said a word. Attempt to engage her in a chat by PUNCH METRO proved abortive.
An elder brother of the deceased, Olawale Olayiwola, told PUNCH METRO that he was in the car when his brother was killed. “We were coming from Oshodi carnival around 5am on Sunday. My brother spotted the car that was trailing us andby the time we got there, the service lane was already blocked by policemen from Onipanu. My brother got out of the car to tell them about the car that was trailing us; but the car rammed into our own vehicle and before we knew it, the man came out and shot my brother on the head. Then he covered his face and started crying; we begged the policemen from Onipanu to help us take Femi to the hospital, but they said we should take him there ourselves. It was on our way to hospital that he died. It was later that we got to know that the man that shot my brother was the DPO of Olosan police station,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, to ensure that the killing is investigated and the DPO accordingly punished. The lawmakers also called on the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Supo Shasore (SAN) to set a coroner’s inquest to determine the circumstances leading to the death of Layiwole.
The House resolved this at a plenary session on Monday when the killing was brought to the notice of the lawmakers by Mr. Rotimi Olowo who represents Shomolu 1 constituency.
SOURCE:www.punchng.com
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