Robbers at the weekend attacked the Ogun State home of a board member of the Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Mr. Bode Oluwafemi, killing his brother-in-law, Kolade Kehinde and three others.
The 12-man gang stormed Oluwafemi’s home on Anglican Road, Sango Otta, at about 1.45am on Saturday morning and shot the security dog dead.
Oluwafemi, former sub-editor at the Guardian and director with Friends of the Earth Nigeria (FoEN), escaped unhurt.
The robbers, who were said to be armed with sophisticated weapons, killed Kehinde, a vigilance group member and two yet-to-be identified persons.
They also shot Oluwafemi’s security guard, Mr. Tunde Olajesu.
Oluwafemi’s colleague, Mr. Tunji Buhari, said: “It all started on October 12 at about 1.45am, when about 12 heavily armed men stormed Oluwafemi’s house.
“First, they shot the security man, Olajesu, to prevent him from alerting us. He was fortunate, as the bullet hit his hand and not his body as they intended.
“Wisely, he pretended that he was dead, so, they left him in a pool of his blood assuming that he was dead. They stormed Oluwafemi’s building, a duplex, and shot Oluwafemi’s brother-in-law, Kolade Kehinde, who lived on the ground floor.
“When the robbers hit the door repeatedly, Oluwafemi appealed to them that he would open the door peacefully, which he attempted to do, but was forced to run back and lock himself in the toilet when the gang rained bullets into the house.
“They forcibly entered the house and dragged them out from their hiding place. They demanded money which was given to them. Not satisfied, they ransacked the entire house and made away with laptops, a camera, four phones, gold jewellry, children cloths, shoes and even food stuff.
“While they were doing this, they sporadically released hails of bullets, riddling the walls, property and ceiling with marks.”
Kehinde was the only son of his mother and had come to Lagos from Ekiti State to look for a job.
Buhari said frantic calls to people to alert the police yielded no result.
He said: “When we lifted a body we found in the gutter, he was clutching his prayer beads in his hands. He was praying when he was killed and thrown into the gutter.
“We took him to a nearby mortuary before reporting at the police station. It was later that we discovered that the gang mistakenly killed two of their members.”
Speaking of efforts to get help during the robbery, a source said: “Ogun State Police spokesman Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi picked his call when I called him at about 2am. He promised to send his men, but he did not. If he had, I am sure some of the robbers would have been apprehended. In fact, till the robbers were done, no police presence was felt.
“It was Oluwafemi and some people that went to the station to report the incident. About four policemen followed them back to the house. It was a classic case of medicine after death.”
As at press time, Adejobi could not be reached on phone.
