Police admit killing engineer in error, apologise
From Ifedayo Sayo, Ado-Ekiti
HE was not a soldier at the battle-front neither was he an armed robber. All the same, he was shot dead as an armed robber and his death announced with pomp by the law enforcement agency that snuffed life out of him.
But Muyiwa Popoola, a civil engineer, was not to go to his grave in disgrace. Yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State Police Command admitted killing him in error three weeks ago and apologised, blaming it on laxity and unprofessional conduct on the part of its men.
Describing the incident as a grave mistake, Mr. Patrick Egbunive, the state Deputy Commissioner of Police who stood is for his boss, Mr. Bashiru Azeez, who was in Abuja for the national security council meeting on the incident, told the state legislators that Popoola was actually killed in error while the police were chasing an armed robbery gang.
Egbunive blamed the killing on over-zealousness, laxity and unprofessional conduct of his men.
According to the state's deputy police chief, his command initially thought they had apprehended armed robbers only to later discover that the victims were innocent.
They confirmed that the killing was celebrated by the police who saw it as a breakthrough in their attempt to reduce armed robbery.
He, however, regretted that their acclaimed success had turned sour as the men were not armed robbers.
Egbunive berated the police constable who fired the fatal shots for his over-zealousness.
He also blamed the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ado-Ekiti, Mr. Lasisi Akinlabi, for his men's display of laxity when carrying out instructions that could have saved lives.
Popoola was killed three weeks ago by policemen while trailing a gang of armed robbers that snatched a Mercedes Benz car from the owner of a filling station in Ado-Ekiti.
Popoola and his colleagues in a Honda Civic car were mistaken for armed robbers and in a bid to arrest them, the police opened fire on them, killing Popoola and a telcom policeman who was at the scene of the incident.
However, the police boss told the legislators that a senior police officer's directive that Popoola be taken to a hospital for medical attention was not complied with which eventually led to his death.
He explained that the refusal of the policemen to carry out the instruction from their boss shows laxity on the part of the DPO for his lack of control over his men.
He said the DPO had been relieved of his post and transferred to the state police command pending the decision of the Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, on the matter.
The constable, who shot Popoola has been dismissed from the Police Force and already charged for murder.
Also, the informant who identified Popoola and his colleagues as the robbers who snatched a car from him had equally been charged for giving false information to the police.
Some of the legislators, who spoke on the matter, called for adequate compensation to the family of Popoola since he had been admitted to be innocent.
Mr. Segun Ola called for the reorientation of officers and men of the police to enable them live up to the expectation of the public.
He also called for adequate funding of the police by the Federal Government to make them perform better.
