officers attached to the Badagry Police
Division on May 25, 2011, the wife of one of
them has decried the inability of the
authorities to bring the killers to justice.
Divisional Police Officer, Samuel Salisu, Divisional
Crime Officer, Samson Okedusi and Assistant
Superintendent of Police, Taofeek Afolabi, were
killed by suspected soldiers attached to the 243
Recce Battalion Barracks, Ibereko, Badagry in Lagos
State.
The slain officers were on a peace mission to the
army barracks, allegedly on the invitation of the
commandant of the barracks, simply identified as
Colonel Nabasa, to settle a rift between the police
and the army over the killing of a staff sergeant
allegedly by a riot police officer attached to the
Lagos State security outfit, the Rapid Response
Squad on May 23 2011.
The wife of the DCO, Mrs. Temitayo Okedusi, told
PUNCH Metro that the police and the government
had failed to arrest and prosecute her husband's
killers.
She said, "It is two years now and we have not
heard that anything has been done to those who
killed my husband and other police officers in
Badagry.
"In my husband's case, I will continue to demand
justice. I want the government to find my
husband's killers and bring them to book. If I had
the means, I would have taken the government, the
police and army to court for sweeping the death of
my husband under the carpet."
Okedusi said the police and most of her husband's
friends had abandoned the family, adding that it
was difficult to even get her husband's gratuity.
She said, "The people who promised to assist us are
nowhere to be found. The proceeds from the little
business I do are what we have been living on. Till
date, we have not been able to access my husband's
gratuity because of the 10 per cent commission the
Probate Court is asking for.
"We were asked to get a letter of Administration
from the Probate Court. To do this, we are supposed
to pay 10 per cent of Okedusi's entire money in the
bank to the probate court first. This will cost us
N330,000.
"The family does not have this money and that is
what is delaying us from getting my husband's
gratuity and entitlements. We are now stranded."
Okedusi lamented the inability of the police force
and government to take care of the wives and
children of slain police officers.
She said, "Serving policemen are not helping the
wives of the dead officers. Despite the fact that my
husband died in active duty, we have been left alone
to fend for ourselves.
"If the government is assisting the wives of soldiers
killed by Boko Haram and militants, they should
also compensate the families of policemen killed in
active duty. There is a day set aside for
remembering fallen soldiers, but there is no
recognition for the policemen killed while
protecting this country. This is not fair."
Samson Okedusi was killed five months to his
retirement from the force.
The Chief Executive officer of CLEEN Foundation,
Innocent Chukwuma, during last year's
remembrance, had said the Badagry Police Station
won the Altus Global Alliance, Annual Police
Station Visitors Week Award, under the leadership
of the slain officers in 2010.
Chukwuma had said, "It is unfortunate that the
officers were brutally murdered as the Badagry
Police Station, under their leadership, won an Altus
award last year. We were told that the police and
the military will set up a panel to investigate that
heinous crime. As we speak to you today, the report
of that panel has not been seen."
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