24th August, 2011
Sekinat Ibraheem, the younger sister of Monsuru Ibraheem who was killed two Saturdays ago during a gang war at Sari-Iganmu, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, has cried out over the remand of her younger brother, Azeez Ibraheem, in Ikoyi Prisons over an offence he never committed.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the 26-year-old lady said amidst tears that their family has been ruined following the killing of her elder brother who was their bread winner and the unlawful arrest and remand of her younger brother in prison custody by those who are the real perpetrators of the dastardly act.
Sekinat, who along with other relatives of those alleged to have been illegally detained, called on Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, to quickly wade into the matter.
They said the nine young men being tried for armed robbery and other offences, are innocent of the charges levelled against them.
Says Sekinat: “A powerful politician in Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area, LCDA, is behind the mayhem in our area. He is the one who sent the thugs to kill my elder brother and again lied against my younger brother and eight others.
“How can those whose brother was killed be the culprits? Those they arrested and being tried were still on their beds when they attacked around 3.30am that very day. The policemen who accompanied the thugs just picked anybody they saw. Governor Fashola should please set up a panel to investigate this case and save the innocent boys from the vicious politician.â€
A woman whose son, Abayomi, was among those arrested and remanded in Ikoyi Prisons, Madam Arinola Ogunwuyi, said her son who is a student of Arandun Grammar School, Arandun in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, was on vacation in Lagos, and was still asleep when they barged into her house and arrested him during the invasion of the area by thugs.
Meanwhile, community leaders in the area have sent a list of the alleged real perpetrators of the act to the state Commissioner of Police, Yakubu Alkali.
A resident and Youth Leader in the area, Comrade Saheed Olalekan a.k.a. Okiki said his life was at stake, as the hoodlums have sent several death threats to him via sms and even threatened to abduct the pregnant wife of the slain tricycle operator, Monsuru Ibraheem, whose corpse is still in the mortuary.
The immediate past chairman of Apapa-Elemu Community Development Association, Sari-Iganmu, Mr. Tunde Dakodonu, appealed to the state government to quickly wade into the matter and restore peace in the area, calling on the police to ensure the return of a two-month old baby girl that was kidnapped by the Ali-Iwo street boys during the early morning attack.
The nine innocent men arrested and arraigned before an Ebute-Metta Magistrates’ court, Oyingbo and remanded at Ikoyi Prisons are Tope Tinuoye, Abayomi Ogunwuyi, Tunde Isiaka, Abdullahi Akanbi, Sulyman Wahab, Azeez Ibraheem, Sulyman Ishola, Morufudeen Abubakar and Isaila Akanbi.