PANDEMONIUM broke out in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yesterday, when a police corporal, Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, went berserk, shot dead his wife, a landlady, two year-old girl and three others before killing himself.
After killing his estranged wife who was also a policewoman, Corporal Oluwatosin Faremi, attached to the Obantoko Police Division, the rampaging police corporal reportedly shot dead a commercial motorcycle rider, and five members of a family, before shooting himself dead immediately.
The tragic incident which occurred at Akingbala area of Eleweran, Abeokuta, at 7:02 am reportedly forced some policemen to abscond from their duty posts.
Also, residents of the area fled the place to avoid being caught in the mayhem.
It was gathered that in the process, three other persons sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba for treatment.
Vanguard gathered that the killer policeman had in the past issued several warnings to the landlady, popularly called Iya Basira, to desist from harbouring his wife and children in her house whenever they had any misunderstanding and she moved out of his house.
But the landlady who lived at 67, Ifelodun Street, Akingbala area, was said to have turned deaf ears to the warnings, preferring to shelter the policeman’s wife and two children.
An eye witness who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard that the furious policeman stormed the landlady’s place at about 7:02 am and immediately shot his wife, the commercial motorcycle rider simply identified as Kunle and other four members of the family including a two-year-old girl, who was sleeping, to death.
Ogunbiyi, according to findings, who had laid ambush for his victims in a nearby bush was said to have emerged from nowhere with his rifle, killing the commercial motorcycle rider who was about to pick the wife, already dressed for work, and their two children who were said to be in their school uniforms, in front of the house.
CP visits scene; orders forensic investigation
He then reportedly proceeded to the landlady’s six-room uncompleted building where he also killed the woman who was said to be sleeping.
Vanguard gathered that Ogunbiyi also shot dead a daughter of the landlady, Basira, and her two-year-old daughter, Jesutofunmi as well as the landlady’s two sons, Taofeek, a Senior Secondary School II student of Nawar-u-Deen Grammar School, Obantoko and his elder brother, Sikiru.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye, was said to have visited the scene of the shooting incident to assess the situation.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement said that Ogunbiyi and his wife had been having domestic conflicts before the shooting incident .
Adejobi, however, said the command had already commenced a thorough forensic investigation into the deaths, adding that the command would also ensure justice is done in the matter.
He said, “the Ogun State Police Command has deemed it necessary to react to the killing of six persons by a police Corporal, Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, attached to the Ogun State Police Command.
“The unfortunate incident occurred this morning, Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 0758hrs when the said corporal, who had been having domestic conflicts with his wife, shot and killed six persons, with his rifle, including his wife, Woman Corporal Oluwatosin Faremi, the landlady, a two-year-old baby girl and two males and one female, while another three persons sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta. The said corporal, having killed these persons, shot himself dead immediately.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, CP Ikemefuna Okoye, has described the incident as unfortunate, and has visited the scene with other senior police officers in the command to assess the situation and sympathize with relations of the deceased and members of the Akingbala Ifelodun Estate, Eleweran Area, Abeokuta, where the incident took place.
“The command has, therefore, commenced thorough forensic investigation into the killing and promised to make sure justice is done in the matter. The Commissioner of Police, however, appeals to the general public to perceive the incident as one of the unfortunate social mishaps and not to judge the Police with the incident, as the Police is committed to protection of lives and property and will not tolerate any act capable of trampling on fundamental human rights of the citizens of Ogun State.”
