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By Lateef Adegbite
Barely 24 hours, after Usman Alkali Baba, Inspector General of Police, IGP, who had described the shooting of one Mrs. Bolanle Raheem, a female Lawyer,, as unfortunate and issued a matching order to the Lagos Police Command under the close watch of Abiodun Alabi, to speedily carry out an investigation to fish out the Killers, he was said to have raised an investigation team immediately.
Appealing to officers and men of the Force ‘’to be professional and people-oriented in the discharge of their duties and operate within the ambit of the Law’’, he had said that ‘’the Forces Leadership will no longer condone any ‘’inappropriate or unprofessional acts’’. Bad news to the trigger hungry police men who believe they have the license to kill and go as the end game has come.
Many believe that the IGP may have stepped in to get into the root of the matter because the Leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has asked the police ‘’to provide full details about the officer who was said to have fired and killed the female Lawyer in Ajah’’.
The Leadership of the the NBA was said to have unequivocal demanded that the Police officially disclose and immediately release to Nigerians the fuller details of the errant Officer and other Officers responsible for this heinous act’’ Yakubu Maikyau, the NBA President was said to have Constituted a team comprising of some National Officers of the Association, Chairman and Vice Chairperson of Lagos Branch of the Legal body and Chairman of Ikeja Branch with a mandate to follow up the matter and ensure a speedy thorough investigation of the crime.
Given the position of the IGP on the matter, that the suspected officers responsible for the incident which he had described as ‘’ugly and unprofessional act and does not portray the Nigerian police standard operating procedure and core values will be prosecuted as a lesson to others who may want to indulge in such act in the future may have forced the Police Investigator to move into action to fish out the police killers.
An aggrieved NBA President has assured Nigerians that the Association is Committed ‘‘to justice and will not only get to the root of the matter but will uproot it and take steps to deal with anyone found culpable in every Lawful way’’. Akorede Habeed Lawal, NBA, Secretary General had said that they will use the death of Mrs. Raheem , to ensure that this does not happen to any Nigerian citizen in the future. He recalled that some years back one Gafaru Buraimoh, who was on his way to buy fuel in an Ajah filling station was killed in a similar manner. This may have informed why the Leadership of NBA, had said that they will no longer take it but dig it out with the Police to stop the mess.
The Lagos Police Command Authorities may have known that the brutal murder of the Lagos Lawyer by one of their own would expose the Force to ridicule may have informed why they quickly followed the IGP instructions to speedily investigate the incident to calm frayed nerves.
Until the Force went into investigation into the Late Mrs. Raheem incident, Channels Television had reported on Sunday, December 25, 20222, based on snippets from bystanders that the unknown police Officer who had committed the heinous act was attached to the Ajah Police Station, giving Nigerians the impression that the country is gradually back to the dark days of Police brutality.
According to the Channels report, the Police officer who had shot the female Lawyer who was coming back from a Christmas Church Service with her family members had tried to make a U-turn under the Ajah bridge but the Police team on Patrol were said to have tried to tried to stop them Lawyer a but suddenly fired and killed her on the spot. The Leadership of NBA , had admonished the Police Authorities that the lesson s from the End SARS protest in Lagos which had led to the destruction of lives and property should not be forgotten be forgotten too soon ,insisting that the Authorities must do everything within its powers to avoid a repeat of it.
Given the pressure on the Police Authorities by the NBA, to fish out the police killers of Mrs. Raheem, who is one of their members or be ready for the Legal battle which the IGP, may not have wanted to get to that level was said to have force the police to get cracking.
This is evident going by the Police Investigators findings as Communicated to the NBA Leadership by the Police Authorities that the killer Officer has been identified as one Drambi Vandi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police. That much was confirmed by Lawal, the NBA, Secretary General, in a Statement. Hear him: The Lagos state Police Command has confirmed that the suspected murderer of Mrs. Raheem, our member was one Vandi, an officer, who has been in the service for 33 years.
As the Police Investigators have found the trigger – hungry Officer who had killed Mrs. Raheem, the Maikyau led NBA, was said to have resolved ‘’to be a complainant in the case in Court along with her family’’. Indeed , the arrest and detention of ASP Vandi and his other Patrol Team members who were instrumental to the brutal murder of the female Lawyer may have sent a signal to other trigger hungry Police men that it is no longer going too business as usual as the long arm of the Law awaits any Officer who takes the Law in his hand to kill.
Note that ever since the information about the death Mrs. Raheem, a female Lawyer in the hands of a suspected Police Officer attached to Ajah Police Station became to public dormain, there have been outpour of Condolence messages to the Family. The IGP, Lagos state Police Command, NBA and concerned Nigerians , had at different times sent their condolence message to the family. Nigerians hope that this kind of extra-judicial murder would never repeat itself again.
