As the year comes to an end, robberies. Seun Akioye in this report writes about a family whose house was invaded by a 12-man gang of robbers.
It was at about 2am on Saturday, 13th October 2012, men numbering about 12 using the darkness as ally and a cover forcefully gained entry in to the compound of Akinbode Oluwafemi, a journalist and Director of Administration, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN). For several minutes they had been outside firing guns at the gate and attempting to gain entry. After several shots of gunshots to scare neighbours they scaled over the high security fence by cutting the barbed wire. On gaining entry, they shot ‘Terry’ an Alsatian guard dog which unaccustomed to that mode of entry into its master’s household had resisted the night intruders.
Several bullets caught the dog in the stomach and it died instantly. The night watchman was the next target. On spotting him they pumped several bullets into his room. And to ensure that he was really dead, an order was given to locate his body and pump more bullets.
The night raiders continued with their display of gunfire, exhibiting much confidence and dexterity in the use of the dangerous arms, they began to rain bullets on the cars in the compound using AK 47, pump action rifles and other guns.
Theatre of war
At this point, the Oluwafemi household was in turmoil. “It was like a war, I have never seen anything like this before. You would think there was war going on here,” he said. But the war was really yet to start. The robbers spent about 40 minutes trying to break down the main door in order to gain entry into the house. After scaling the wall and killing the dog, they cut the padlock that was used in locking the gate. They flung it open for other members of the gang to go into the compound. After spending sometime cutting the burglary proof, they gained unfettered entrance into the house.
“When we heard the hail of bullets, we all went and locked ourselves in the toilet, that was when they were trying to break down the door, before they eventually came in through the window. Then, immediately they entered the house, they began to shoot indiscriminately. Maybe the long and hard shooting was to forestall any resistance; they were just spraying the house with bullets.
“They then came upstairs and were shouting that we should open the door. I thought to myself that if we don’t open the door they may get violent when they eventually come in. And as the head of the house, I decided to face them. Immediately I came out of the room, a bullet flew by my head and lodged inside the air conditioner above my head. The bullet missed me by whiskers. That was when all hell was let loose,” Oluwafemi narrated.
For about two hours, the robbers held the innocent residents of the duplex hostage and terrorised them to no end. Every conceivable valuable item was taken by the robbers, and as all this was going on, the robbers constantly threatened to annihilate the entire household. While no one put up any resistance, they still went ahead to kill and maim.
Narrating the ordeal of the family as the robbers held them hostage for over two hours, he said, “They turned the whole house upside down; I gave them everything they asked for including the car keys. I cooperated, despite that they shot my brother -in- law. When I saw the blood, I pleaded with them; I begged them for his life because he was under my care. Yet they finished him off.
“They continued to ransack the house for another thirty minutes after they shot him, he was losing blood, I was desperate to get him to the hospital so we could save his life. Immediately they left, I rushed him into the car downstairs. That was when we also discovered the security man had been shot. We took the two of them into the car and rushed them to the hospital.”
Helpless neighbours
While the robbers continued to terrorise the Oluwafemi household, neighbours gathered in groups to mobilise resistance albeit unsuccessfully. “We could not move near the house, the fire power was too much, there was no way we could have successfully resisted them, so we began to call for help which unfortunately did not come,” one of the neighbours, who does not want to be named, revealed.
In the morning, two persons lay dead. Kolade Kehinde, the brother- in-law, who was shot inside the house. While at the General Hospital, Ota, Ogun State where Kolade’s body was deposited, they were told that another body had been found in a gutter in front of the house. This was later identified as a security guard (Olode) who must have been abducted by the robbers and killed after the operation.
The security guard of Oluwafemi escaped death by pretending he was dead. There were reports of two other killings by the gang members, who reportedly killed their own members. One was reportedly shot accidentally while the circumstances of the death of the other could not be ascertained. The bodies were said to have been carted away by the robbers. In the afternoon, a body was found somewhere in Ogun State. The description of the clothing on him was said to match that of the robber who was accidentally shot by his own gang member.
The weekend robbery and invasion of the Oluwafemi household in Ota, a border community between Lagos and Ogun State has thrown up interesting permutation about the security implications for those living on the border with Lagos State. While Lagos State could be said to have made giant strides in the fight against the men of the underworld, and has also initiated the Lagos emergency numbers which enable citizens to call toll free from any network and seek for help, the same cannot be said for those in neighbouring states like Ogun where the robbers dislodged from Lagos have reportedly relocated.
“We called the police, but they told us that the area is in Ogun State and so they cannot help. Many of us called the Lagos emergency number; they insisted every time that the location is under Ogun State Command. They even refused to help us radio for help in Ogun State. I don’t understand since this is supposed to be a Federal Police Force,” one of the neighbours recounted in frustration.
According to Oluwafemi, “I think the Police Force needs to be more proactive. We live on the border with Lagos, and when you are in Lagos you feel safe but immediately you cross the line into Ogun State it becomes a different story. The border community is bearing the brunt of the effectiveness of Lagos policing and I think the Police in Ogun State should be empowered the same way their Lagos counterparts have been. This is a wake-up call to all of us; it is my turn today, who knows where it will be tomorrow. We must ensure that help is available in the time of distress.”
But the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi disagreed. “I have said it many times that people living in the state should have the number of the police ready. We have publicized our numbers, so that the people can reach us. The calls that were made in that particular incident were to Lagos which does not have jurisdiction over that area.”
Explaining further, the Police spokesperson said: “It is not possible for Lagos Command to respond to that call. And maybe the people they are calling do not even have our numbers. Except you call the DC in charge of operations, Tunde Sobulo, he is the only one who can help because he has our numbers. There is no need wasting time calling Lagos when we are here. That is why we encourage our people to have our numbers, reach us, even to pass security information to us, we will act on it.”
Adejobi also disputed earlier media reports about the casualty figure. “I read that four people were killed. I am not aware of the reported accidental discharge of the robbers. I know the brother -in -law was killed and they found another person, possibly a security man, who proved to be a hindrance to them, he was also killed.”
There was also the issue of the rejection of gunshot patients by hospitals. The late Kolade Kehinde was rushed in a pool of blood to a popular hospital in U-Turn, Abule- Egba, but the doctor on duty blatantly refused to offer any first aid assistance. The doctor on duty asked for police report before the victim could be attended to. All efforts to convince him that the state government and the police authorities have said gunshot victims should first be treated were rebuffed. From this point it was a race against time as Kehinde was rushed back to Ota. He did not make the journey. He died on the way after losing so much blood.
“I went to our family hospital immediately, because I know there has been a directive that gunshot victims should be treated first by hospitals while they contact the police. It took some time before we could locate the doctor and they still asked us for police report. That was our family hospital, where we are registered. We are not new clients to them,” Oluwafemi lamented.
However, when the hospital was contacted none of the medical staff were willing to be quoted. “There was a case of gunshot victim; the doctor said the patient was brought in dead. The doctor who was on duty said he advised those who brought the victim to take the body to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and on the way get a police report. We have a policy here not to turn away any gunshot victim, we have police station here and what we will do in that instance is to treat the patient while we make a formal report to the police.”
There were many questions with few answers coming forward. There are many probabilities on how things might have turned differently if help had come in time and if the law enforcement agencies had been efficient.
The Ogun State Police Command has, however, promised to get to the root of the matter. “For now, we don’t have any suspect; we will spread our tentacles to get the robbers. The Commissioner of Police is aware of this case and he has personal interest in it. The case is under investigation and we will not leave any stone unturned in this matter. Our sympathies are with the family and we will ensure that the culprits are brought to justice,” Adejobi told The Nation.
Kolade was buried four days later in his hometown. But the incident has also brought to the fore the role of effective policing in Ota and other border communities. The Ogun State Police Command advised residents: “We need to be our brother’s keepers, when such incidents happen the community should rise up and help. They should call us, you need to help us publish our numbers again, so that the people can have it and reach us,” Adejobi said.
One of the cars that the robbers used in carting away valuables was however recovered on Saturday around 1pm on Adiyan Road where it was abandoned after the security tracking was shut down.
Akioye is a Lagos based freelance journalist
