A fashion designer, Bukola Olaniyan, said he was shot by vigilantes in his house at Opeyemi community, New Gbagi area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as his mother and wife watched.
Olaniyan, a father of four, said he was returning home around 9.30pm on June 13, 2017, when he was stopped by the vigilance group in the area, who began to beat him.
Olaniyan added that after he escaped from the scene, he was traced to his house where he was shot. He lost a finger in the incident and is currently receiving treatment at a traditional medical facility in the city.
Olaniyan said, “It was raining that night. When I got to their post, they stopped me and asked why I stopped taking my usual route home. They said they had waited for me there before that day and did not see me. I explained to them that the rain delayed me till that time and that I had to buy food to eat at home. They began to beat me and tore my clothes.
“When I begged them, one of them said that they were contracted to kill me. That was when I ran away. They shot at me but I escaped. When I got home, they traced me there again and continued to beat me. When my mother tried to intervene, they used the butts of their guns to hit her in the chest and she fainted. I later managed to free myself from them but then I heard a shot and used my hand to cover my head. The bullet tore through my hand and severed a finger. All this happened inside the house.”
Asked if he recognised his attackers, Olaniyan said he had met them several times and that they knew he lived in the community.
Olaniyan’s mother, Abigael, who built the house where his son was shot, said for fear of further attack, they had to wait until dawn before his son was taken to a hospital.
The octogenarian said, “The incident happened soon after our night prayer. My son and his family live with me. Five men with guns chased him to the house and beat him up despite my plea. They later used their gun butts to hit me and shot my son in front of the family as he tried to open the door to escape. They said they were asked to kill him. They boasted of finishing their mission after that and left, thinking he had died actually. On their way, they shot into the air again to scare people.”
Olaniyan’s wife, Silifat, said despite notifying the landlord association of the brutal treatment her husband received, no one showed up at the hospital until the police intervened.
“We are poor people and that is why we got such treatment. My husband almost bled to death and he spent 10 days at the hospital. We were asked to pay N20,000 but we had little money. The police at the Adelubi Police Station heard of the assault and visited us at the hospital, promising that the matter would be resolved. The landlords later paid N8,000. An ex-ray showed that there were 21 more bullet pellets in my husband’s hand. We were advised to go to a traditional healer who specialises in removing bullets and pellets. The landlords paid the fee charged and begged us to forget the issue so that it would not go to court.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Police Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, who confirmed the incident, stated that the divisional police officer at the Adelubi station was ready to charge the perpetrators to court if the victim and eyewitnesses were ready to appear.
He said, “Oyo State Police Command will not tolerate crime being perpetrated in the state. The DPO said the matter was not reported but that when he heard about it, his men visited the victim.
The DPO said when the victim’s mother and brother came to the station, they ruled out approaching the court because it was a matter between neighbours. They told him that all they wanted was money to treat the victim. The DPO is ready to charge the case to court if they are ready to testify.”
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