leaders of vigilance group in Lagos was killed by Gunmen

For 81-year-old Mrs. Adebisi Fakoya, from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, every Christmas brings good tidings. She told PUNCH METRO that it was a period that brought all her children and grandchildren together under one umbrella as a happy and united family.

But she said her yearly expectation had been shattered by the death of his son, Chief Rotimi Fakoya, and his colleague, Mr. Hassan Fatayi.

Rotimi, 51, was the commander of a group of Neighbourhood Watch of Nigeria attached to the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, while Fatayi was a member of the vigilance group. Both were killed in the early hours of Saturday at Ibadan/Osholanke Junction, Ebutte Metta, Lagos, by unidentified gunmen.

PUNCH METRO gathered that the deceased were on patrol when they were shot dead.

“Life means nothing to me anymore with the death of my son. What am I living for again? I am really devastated. I plead with the government to find and punish the killers of my son,” Adebisi wailed uncontrollably, as she spoke with our correspondent at her late son’s residence at 28, Osholande Street, Ebutte Metta.

Rotimi’s first son, Deji, who spoke on behalf of the family, appealed to the government to find the killers of his father.

Deji said, “It was very shocking. We do not know what to do. The government and individuals should please help us. If possible, government should help us find the killers. The death of my father will definitely affect our education and career.

“How can we cope? I am hoping to be admitted to an institution of higher learning and many of my siblings are either in primary or secondary schools. I am the eldest and I am just 21. The youngest is about six months old.”

At Fatayi’s residence, one of his children, Balikis, said with the death of her father, her plan to get married this year had been put on hold.

“It is a terrible and shocking news. My marriage was to come up before the end of the year. But his death has shattered my plans. I am not sure that the marriage will still hold this month,” she said.

Fatayi’s wife, Risikatu, said she fainted when she learnt that her husband was shot dead, adding that life would be difficult without the family’s breadwinner.

One of the community leaders in Ebute Metta, Mr. Agbodemu Musibau, alleged that there was a leadership tussle between two vigilance groups in the area.

He said, “On December 10, there was a programme on World Human Rights Day and we all participated. We went round Idoko Market together for the human rights celebration. But around 4am on Saturday, I got information that Rotimi had been shot. We went to Denton Police Station, Ebutte Metta, where we confirmed that the two men were shot dead.”

An eyewitness and a member of the group, Mr. Olusegun Adebajo, said he saw some men in a car in the area shortly before the deceased were killed.

He said one of the occupants pointed to the direction of the deceased and said ‘this is the man.’ He said they later shot the men and thereafter came after him.

“I ran back to my compound. They started looking for me and even went to my room. But unknown to them, I hid in an uncompleted building. They shot one of my sons at his leg and beat up my daughter who was begging them when they entered my room. They later ran away,” he said.

Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Mr. Frank Mba, proved abortive as he did not pick his calls. Also, he did not respond to our correspondent‘s text message as at the time the paper went to bed.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/