••• Wants perpetrators brought to Justice
Bature Community in Odigbo Local Government Area Of Ondo State has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun alleging the gruesome murder of a youth leader in the community by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC in the state without any justification whatsoever.
The community in a letter addressed to the inspector general of police and dated 7th October alleged that the NSCDC is trying to cover up the matter involving a man whose life was cut short abruptly, leaving behind wife and Three children.
Writing on behalf of the community, a legal professional, Joshua Sebiotimo says, “We demand a discreet investigation for these yet to be identified officers to be identified, investigated and prosecuted accordingly.“
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A CASE OF GRUESOME MURDER OF MR. ERIC FAMUROTI IN BATURE COMMUNITY, ODIGBO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO STATE BY SOME OFFICERS OF NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS, ONDO STATE COMMAND AT THE INSTIGATION OF OLUMUYIWA AGUNLOYE, BALA, MAKU, FOLORUNSHO FUNKE OLUWAFEMI, SALISU, OLA AND LOMI AKINSANMI: A CALL FOR IMMEDIATE AND PROMPT ACTION.
As solicitors, our service have been sought and retained by lleege Community in Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo State (hereinafter called our client). We have their instuctions to write this letter to your good office for a timely and urgent intervention in view of the current gruesome murder of Mr. Eric Famuroti (hereinafter referred to as the deceased) by some officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command numbering seven (7).
Sometimes in September 2024, the officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command arrested the deceased at Bature Community while he was brought to their office at Akure, Ondo State and our firm represented him and later secured his bail.
Subsequent to this, a meeting was held on 3rd of October 2024 by some members of the Community including the deceased wherein it was stated that they contribute certain amount of money without fully explaining the reasons for such contribution and this made the deceased to negate such move since there was no clear reasons for such contribution.
We have it on record that the meeting had in attendance some people including but not limited to Maku, Salisu (09032875151, 08167097477), Ola (09063873301), Folorunsho Funke Oluwafemi (08063481021), Olumuyiwa Agunloye (08060909220), Lomi Akinsanmi, IdrisTajudeen and Taye Olabanji alias King of Boys.
Sequel to the meeting, the aforementioned people in connivancance with some people who are yet to be known and in order to carry out their murderous motive called some officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command to arrest the deceased and/or his family members if they cannot sight the deceased.
On 5th of October, 2024 the officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command stormed the Community and arrested the wife of the deceased alongside with her two children with the name Desola, 3years of age and Sophia, one year and three months of age when they could not see the deceased.
They met the deceased’s wife at her shop where she sells goods and they demanded from her of the whereabout of the deceased while the deceased wife told them that her husband had gone to the farm.
They immediately arrested the wife of the deceasd with her children in lieu of the deceased while they were placed on a motorcycle and taken to where they parked their Van at fleege Community, a third community to Bature Community where they arrested the wife as the road to Bature is not motorable.
The officers later put the wife and the children of the deceased in their Van with the name Defender, white colour with registration No: 0D21-A04, Ondo State immediately they got to lleege Community where their vehicle was parked. While the officers were trying to take the family of the decased away from the Community, the deceased heard that they had arrested his wife and immediately left the farm alongside with some of his friends who were in the farm with him.
When the deceased saw the van of the officers ahead of him, he was trying to wave at them to drop his wife with his children and possibly take him with them since he has shown up and he was never in the run for any offence.
At this point, the officers in the van told the wife of the deceased that they were going to the waste the lives of those seen on the bike from their rear mirror and immediately the deceased bike got to them on the bike they opened fire and shot him in his stomach.
The deceased immediately fell from the motorcycle and sat beside the bush while the rider of the motorcycle and his friend sitting at the back ran for their dear lives. One of the deceased’s friends, Abayomi Ifedayo, who directed the officers on how to get to Bature Community was equally following the deceased at the back with his own motorcycle, heard the gun shot and fell of his motorcycle.
He left his motorcycle and ran towards where the deceased’s motorcyle was, discovered that the deceased had been shot in the stomach and ran towards the moving van to see if he could tell them that they had killed the deceased but on sighting him too, they pointed a gun at him which made him to tarry a bit.
When he discovered that the Divisional Police Officer attached to Kajola Community stopped the van conveying the officers at the Checkpoint/barricade leading to the main road of Onipetesi Community, he quickly ran to meet the Police officers on duty where he intimated them that the Civil Defence Officers had shot at the deceased.
The DPO instructed Abayomi Ifedayo to first take the deceased to the hospital on his own motorcycle which he obliged but on getting to Gloryfield Hospital, a nearby hospital the deceased was confirmed and pronounced dead (Brought in Dead) while his remains was deposited at the morgue of the same hospital. Photographs of the deceased is annexed as Annexure A.
Mr.Abayomi Ifedayo had to return to where the DPO alongside the perpetrator of the heinous act were and informed them that they have killed the deceased, at this point, the officers who killed the deceased took to their heels, and left their van and the DPO could not arrest any of them.
The Divisional Police Officer later took the abandoned van to the Divisional Headquarter at Kajola Community. Photograph of the Van that conveyed the officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command painted in white colour with registration No: 0D21-A04, Ondo State is annexed as Annexure B.
Sir, we have it on record that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command are trying to delude the public, giving misrepresentation of facts as to what actually transpired on 5th of October, 2024.
They have been avowing that it was a gun duel between the community and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command. We termed this assertion on behalf of our client as a concocted lies meant to divert the course of justice and possibly exculpate the culprits who are yet to be identified hence this call for an urgent intervention to unravel the reasons for sniffing life out of Mr. Eric untimely leaving his three children fatherless.
It is on this note we humbly call on your most revered office to cause an immediate intervention into this barbaric and unjustifiable murder of Mr. Eric Famuroti by some officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command and some mobile Police Officers who were equally in the van when the deceased was gruesomely murdered.
We demand a discreet investigation for these yet to be identified officers to be identified, investigated and prosecuted accordingly.
We remain grateful for your prompt actions.
Thanks.
