•Two recent incidents demonstrate impunity from uniformed men
Abuse of might is always wrong. This is the lesson a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Segun Fabunmi, is probably learning the hard way. He was on December 14 sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter. This followed the fatal shooting of Ademola Ade (or Ademola Aderintola Daramola) in January 2012, in the heat of a fuel subsidy protest in Lagos.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade of a Lagos State High Court also found Fabunmi, a dismissed chief superintendent of police (CSP), guilty of shooting and injuring three others: Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh.
Justice Akinlade said: “The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the defendant recklessly shot his rifle and in the process the bullet hit the deceased. He definitely knew that shooting an AK47 can cause grievous bodily harm to anyone the bullet hit. The fact that he was on a lawful duty did not mean that he should have shot his gun sporadically.” She added: “The defence of provocation will avail the defendant. It is evident that there was no time for his passion to cool before the gun was fired.”
The deceased, a fashion designer, was shot in the thigh and was rejected at a hospital because he could not produce a police report. The other three had testified that by the time they were taken to Ikeja General Hospital, it was too late. The deceased bled to death before treatment could begin.
Fabunmi, who joined the police in 1984, was arraigned in May 2013 by Lagos State and tried for murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm. At the time of the incident, Fabunmi was the DPO of Pen Cinema Police Station, Agege. A report said: “He led his men to Yaya-Abatan in Ogba, following reports that there was a disturbance and hoodlums were holding people hostage. The ex-DPO testified that when he got there, the hoodlums threw bottles, sticks, cutlasses, stones at him and his seven colleagues. Fabunmi said during the attack by the mob, his rifle, containing 60 bullets, went off. But he denied shooting the deceased or anyone else”
Ironically, trigger-happy law enforcers pose a threat to the society they are armed to protect. Such dangerous official protectors constitute an unwanted threat to any civilised community. Fabunmi’s punishment makes a correct statement about the limits of official might, and the need to punish anyone who goes beyond the boundaries.
Lamentably, the rampant culture of reckless shooting in security circles was further highlighted by a December 15 incident in which a policeman died after reportedly being shot by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS). Two cops were shot on the premises of the DSS in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, leading to the death of one of them. Sergeant Sylvester Malik and Corporal Mough Tergwu of the Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force were attached to a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Dr. Femi Thomas, who was invited for questioning by the DSS. The two policemen were said to have accompanied Thomas to the DSS office.
A report quoted a source as saying: “Nobody knew what transpired afterwards, but suddenly there were sounds of gunshots and soon after, the two policemen were lying in a pool of blood. The policemen did not quarrel with them, so I don’t know what happened. Malik was shot thrice in the stomach. It was a real mess.” This case is particularly messy because the alleged attackers and the victims are state security agents.
It is reassuring that the Police Force spokesman, Olabisi Kolawole, said: “The culprits will be prosecuted.” Those whose responsibilities make them qualified to carry guns should handle the weapons responsibly. It is inexcusable to shoot without thinking.
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