Police Command set to Prosecute DPO who killed Apprentice in Lagos

Fatai Owoseni
Lagos State Commissioner of Police

The Lagos State Police Command has said it is putting completing plans to prosecute the Ijeshatedo Divisional Police Officer Mohammadu Yakubu who was alleged to have shot a tailor apprentice-Jamiu Ayoade dead.


The command said that investigations into the case would be rounded off this week, after which will follow the arraignment of Yakubu.

Mr Fatai Owoseni-the state Commissioner of Police, while giving the update on the case on Tuesday, gave a warning to other DPO's in the state to call their men to order or be ready to be held responsible for their official misconducts.

The DPO on Sunday May 7, at about7.30pm, had led some policemen to Wosilatu Daudu Street, Ijeshatedo, where Ayoade was attending his friend’s birthday party to raid the area.

The Police, sprayed gunshots into the air to disperse the gathering, sa

Yakubu reportedly ran after Jamiu and other fun seekers into a building and shot him in the head at a close range. The 23-year-old was said to have bled to death while he was being taken to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba. One Akeem also sustained a gunshot injury in the hand.

The command subsequently detained the DPO and commenced investigations into the incident.

Owoseni on Tuesday said Yakubu had violated rules of engagement during the raid on the area, adding that he would be prosecuted upon the completion of administrative processes on the case.

He said, “I don’t know what he was thinking that could have made him (the DPO) to shoot at somebody in the crowd. He would be arraigned in court; no doubt about that. For any civilian that is killed unjustifiably, my emotion can’t take it. I feel the pain of the family of that boy. Why should I defend anybody that kills?

“There are administrative processes to be followed, which are almost complete. Probably, it will be completed by the end of this week and the DPO will be arraigned in court.”

Condemning the misconduct of some Police operatives, the CP said: “Caution your men. How can you be friends with people when policemen are on the road brutalizing and extorting money from them? I don’t collect returns from any DPO.

“From today (Tuesday), for any act of misconduct that happens in your area, you will be held responsible…if you fail to submit yourself, I will come to arrest the policeman that commits the offence. You (DPO) and the offender will be paraded before the press. You will be redeployed and queried.”

“Don’t shout at people. You have to weigh the kind of danger your life is exposed to before you use weapons. Whenever force is used by a policeman, the incident should immediately be reported and reviewed by superior officers”.

Owoseni said the sergeant who sold the ammunition attempted to kill two senior officers assigned to investigate the crime.  .

He said all this while addressing senior officers at a meeting in KOWA secretariat at Ikeja.