Olamilekan Sanyaolu, father of 14-year-old Mubarak, who used to be killed through a stray bullet fired through a police officer all over a protest in Lagos, speaks to DAYO OYEWO about his frustration with getting justice for his past due son and the eventual disappearance of his frame from the morgue
How did you obtain the inside track that your past due son’s frame used to be lacking?
I used to be unsatisfied once I visited the mortuary and used to be instructed that my son’s corpse used to be now not there; I used to be surprised and puzzled if such will have came about. I felt malicious about that. I concluded that this came about to me as a result of my situation. They (the police) felt I used to be no one; as a result of if such had came about to a affluent prosperous particular person, the problem would had been resolved a protracted generation in the past. You’ll be able to consider that that is the fourth yr; they felt if I used to be drained, I might exit and sit down ill.
What came about when you were given to the mortuary?
Once we were given there on January 16, this yr, we introduced the letter the police gave us, and next they requested for any other report supposed to retrieve the frame, however I mentioned I used to be given the paper and that it used to be with the police since they have been those that introduced the frame. We even sat for akin to 2 hours sooner than they (mortuary managers) attended to us.
They gathered the papers from us, and we left. It used to be the second one past that they referred to as us from the mortuary, pronouncing they may no longer in finding the frame and that it could had been buried in a aggregate grave. Next I puzzled in the event that they knew what they did and the way they buried a useless human being whose subject used to be beneath investigation.
Did you get again to the police in this?
I after referred to as Supol Alonge that very same past and he requested me to present him 5 mins to substantiate from the mortuary. He referred to as me again and mentioned it used to be true that the corpse used to be now not there. I reminded him that it used to be the police who gave us the letter to retrieve the corpse. Next he mentioned that used to be now not his trade and instructed me to name my attorney. Since next, we didn’t listen from the police or the health facility. Even if they claimed that they performed an post-mortem at the boy, I didn’t listen the rest about it. Once they instructed us in regards to the post-mortem, the individual I was at Panti (Situation Prison Investigation Section, Yaba Lagos) with wondered why they went forward with an post-mortem with out the data of the fogeys.
Next the similar Alonge mentioned if we weren’t happy, we must exit and do our post-mortem. This is similar officer who mentioned he used to be committing to slap me and lock me up once I objected to his declare that my past due son used to be killed through a soldier. He mentioned I used to be embarrassing the police through insisting that it used to be their officer. It used to be the brandnew head that they dropped at Panti all over our repeated visits who invited me and requested me to give an explanation for what came about.
What did the brandnew head let you know while you honoured the invitation?
The person requested for the document and upcoming going thru it, he mentioned I used to be proper that it used to be the police who killed the boy. He mentioned he idea it used to be a soldier as a result of that used to be what they instructed him. He mentioned they lied to him that the boy used to be killed in entrance of the barracks within the people. Next he requested me and my attorney, who used to be provide, what I sought after, and I mentioned we needed to bury my son. He next mentioned he would paintings on it.
Was once any report given to you to turn out an post-mortem used to be performed?
Incorrect report used to be supplied. That’s the report that would let fall brightness in this condition, and it’s nonetheless within the ownership of the Investigating Police Officer. In spite of our repeated requests, he has refused to shed those paperwork, escape us with extra questions than solutions. As a father, it’s pathetic to suppose that my kid’s frame would had been handled with such overlook.
For a ways too lengthy, we have been left within the lightless, not sure of the status of the frame or even supposing it used to be nonetheless intact. The rarity of transparency and responsibility on this case is alarming. It’s unfavourable {that a} community must must exit thru such a tribulation, and I call for that the government pull fast motion to handle our issues.
So, who do you suppose might be accountable for this, between the health facility managing the morgue and the police?
The police are the offender since the complete factor turned into misguided proper from their very own finish, however the health facility should additionally provide an explanation for and account for the frame of my son. Once they took the boy to the morgue, they didn’t know that folk would come and search for him. The police instructed them on the morgue that they discovered his corpse through the roadside. Once we were given to the morgue and recognized the frame, they mentioned the police who introduced him mentioned it used to be a automobile that knocked him ill, and that used to be how we instructed them what came about.
We had to give an explanation for that their declare used to be no longer true. So, upcoming that, we visited the Murder division of SCID Panti, and when the police came upon that we have been thinking about what killed him, they modified the tale once more. All over one among our visits, one among their bosses summoned the IPO and requested him in regards to the case. He mentioned it used to be a soldier who killed him age explaining that the scene of the incident used to be akin to army barracks. That used to be once I briefly interrupted that it wasn’t army officials who killed my son; it used to be a police officer. So, we went there once more, they usually stored on telling us the similar factor.
The unsureness used to be insufferable, and it’s irritating that lets no longer get the solutions we would have liked. All over our endmost seek advice from to the police station, I went with our attorney who wrote a letter soliciting for my son’s corpse since not anything used to be popping out of the investigation. In the meantime, the IPO mentioned he used to be no longer certain if the frame used to be nonetheless there, however since that used to be only a verbal communique and no longer a proper communique, we made up our minds to write down a letter to manufacture a proper request. It used to be upcoming this that they gave us a letter to bundle the frame from the mortuary.
What alternative step did you are taking upcoming being knowledgeable of the lacking frame?
We’ve additionally written to the morgue managers to give an explanation for the whereabouts of the frame, however they’re afraid to respond. We wish the health facility to let us know whether or not they buried my son in a aggregate grave on their very own or whether or not they were given the commendation of the police. We’ve additionally written a follow-up letter to the health facility to remind them that they have got no longer but answered to our first letter.
How has the disappearance of your son’s frame from the morgue affected you?
It’s like reopening a wound that is attempting to heal. We have been already suffering to deal with the loss; now, we need to offer with the truth that his frame is long gone. It’s insufferable. Since next, the visually old mom has no longer been herself. She has been reluctantly doing no matter she does in the home since next. I remember that she is pained.
How would you describe Mubarak?
My son used to be studying a business and had just one yr left. I used to be glad as a result of I knew he would have the ability to take charge of himself and support me with cash. I as soon as mentioned he used to be just like the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as a result of I believed he would do superior issues. However now, he’s long gone, and I’ve to take charge of the entirety on my own.
My son used to be no longer only a kid; he used to be serving to us. There have been instances he instructed his mom to not fear, and that he would purchase meals for her on his long ago from paintings. Since he died, the entire burden has been on me unwanted. I’m very unhappy as a result of my son won’t ever get to do the entire issues he promised to do.
Are you able to recall how he died?
A policeman asked N100 from a tricycle rider referred to as Eleyele, however he mentioned he wasn’t operating at that occasion and that he simplest sought after to let fall the tricycle for the one that sought after to utility it. So, he refused to present the policeman the cash, however the policeman threatened to ‘waste him’ if he didn’t give him the cash.
They went from side to side with the argument, upcoming which the policeman opened his bag, introduced out a knife, and stabbed the tricycle operator within the chest. That used to be how the person fell. Folk in a rush him to a close-by health facility simplest to be informed that he used to be useless. The men round took the corpse to the Meiran Police Station on the bus forbid to protest his killing.
That used to be the start of bother, as there have been many policemen on the command branch that past. I went to look Mubarak since the park the place the person used to be killed used to be no longer a ways from the park the place my son used to be studying his vocation. After I were given there, the folk on the scene the place the incident came about accrued within a buying groceries complicated the place they sought protection.
Via the generation the warmth of the revolt had long gone ill and the complicated used to be opened, we came upon that the policemen who accrued there have been greater than 15. They have been armed with weapons, which they shot. When the chaos subsided slightly, extra folk had the chance to loose the complicated for his or her protection. On the generation, Mubarak used to be there. It used to be when he ran out that the policemen shot Mubarak, and someone else used to be clash. The second one particular person used to be simply fortunate that he didn’t die as a result of he used to be clash on his hand, however a stray bullet clash Mubarak, and he fell at the walkway.
What’s your call for making an allowance for this building?
I would like them to pull me to the place my son used to be buried. That used to be a horrific factor to do, and it gave the look of there used to be not anything I may just do about it. This can be a choice that has added to the despair of dropping a kid. He used to be meant to be 19 years vintage through March 30, however they wasted his date. Even upcoming killing him, they was at get rid of his frame and next claimed that they didn’t see it.
Is that meant to be so in a rustic the place there’s legislation and series? They don’t know what my son will have grow to be going forward. They even left us, the fogeys, to endure the distress unwanted with out appearing any lend a hand in anyway. For the reason that incident came about, no one has proven up at our park. Even the DPO of the police station whose officer killed my son didn’t seek advice from us. My date has no longer remained the similar since they killed my Mubarak.