The Lagos State Police Command have commenced investigations into the
murder of a 72-year-old man, Alhaji Abdulkareem Kadiru, in the Ijora
Badia area of Lagos.
According to police, the victim was killed in error by an Oodua
Peoples Congress member, Ismaila Rahmon, who was in charge of security
at a school where a Ramadan event took place. Rahman allegedly killed
the Alhaji with a gun he seized from an armed robber but failed to turn
it over to the police.
It was gathered that Alhaji Kadiru was a generous man and because of
his nature, touts usually surrounded him and sang his praises so that he
would give them money.
Punch learnt that on August 4, 2013, Rahmon and another OPC member,
identified simply as Obasanjo, had gone to provide security for the
victim and other dignitaries at the event.
Rahmon was said to have opened fire in a bid to disperse the
touts. It was learnt that after the hoodlums fled, the suspect started
hailing Kadiru, shouting Tuale!! (a local slang to show respect).
He allegedly shot into the air again to salute the Alhaji. The bullet, however, killed Kadiru in error.
The 30-year-old OPC man said, “I sell shirts at Oluwole and I am also
a part-time Yoruba movie actor. I have starred in three films but I do
not get paid because I am an apprentice. In order to make ends meet, I
joined the OPC and I earn N12,000 a month.
“On the day Alhaji was killed, Obasanjo and I went to a secondary
school in the area to provide security for influential personalities who
came there for Ramadan benevolence programme where they donated items
to members of the community.
“When Alhaji arrived, I escorted his vehicle into the compound and
touts stormed the school in order to extort money from him. I had been
told that area boys would come so I came to the school with a gun. When I
attempted to disperse the hoodlums and they refused to go, I shot into
the air. I also attempted to give Tuale (salute) to Alhaji with
another gunshot because I wanted him to give me money. It was in the
process that the bullet hit him in his head.”
The native of Kwara State said after Alhaji fell to the ground, area
boys gathered and beat him up. The area boys would have lynched him if
not for the timely intervention of policemen.
“The area boys beat me up and collected all the money on me which was
about N20,000. They seized my phone, kicked me in the penis many times
and inflicted wounds on my head. It was the police that saved me from
death. The policemen that came arrested me and took me to their
station,” he said.
When asked if he was licensed and trained to use a weapon, the
suspect said, “I was trained by OPC to use weapons. But I have never
used a gun publicly before the incident. The gun did not belong to me;
it belonged to an armed robber that I arrested some months ago.”
The suspect, who claimed to be the breadwinner of his family, pleaded
with the police to let him go as he did not kill the victim
deliberately.
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