A widow, Mariam Salami, has lamented the alleged refusal of the police to investigate the death of her husband, Ishola, who was murdered at Ajiran in the Ajah area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Salami, while alive, was opposed to land-grabbing activities in the community. He was, however, attacked and shot dead on April 18, 2023, while attending a function close to his residence.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro at the weekend, Mariam said efforts to get justice for her late husband had been allegedly frustrated by the police.
While explaining that people in the community were scared to speak up on the matter, she appealed to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to wade into the matter.
She said, “In the past year, we have been trying to get justice for my husband. He was murdered in broad daylight and we have been begging the government and the police officers to assist me on this. They know what to do about it but they have turned deaf ears. I am using this opportunity to beg the state governor to assist me to get justice. Today makes it one year and we have not received any good news about it.
“I believe the police are aware of what happened but chose not to do anything about it. Even people who are in the community are scared to talk. I only have the courage because I am the wife and I am the only one who knows the pain that I am going through.”
In a separate statement obtained by our correspondent, the Civil Society Stakeholders under the platform of Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights, recalled that the leadership of the police and the state governor had been called out on the need to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to book in accordance with the dictates of rule of law and in the interest of justice.
Comrade Alex Omotehinse, who signed the statement on behalf of the rights group, alleged that the police had not been forthcoming in their effort to get justice for the deceased.
He said, “We, at the CHSR, as well as rank and file of the leadership of the human rights community in Lagos State and by extension Nigeria, are demanding that the new leadership of the Nigeria Police headed by Inspector General Police Kayode Egbetokun should order credible investigation into the callous incident of April 18, 2023 at Moba town, adjacent Ajira and, as expected, all issues and circumstances that may have culminated in the murder of Mr. Sheriff Ishola Salami.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, the murder incident was duly reported at the Ogombo Police Station, Lekki and followed up with a notification to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Nigeria Police Force, Zonal Command Headquarters, Zone II, Onikan. You would recall that in November 2023, we embarked on an advocacy visit to the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, National Human Rights Commission (Lagos State Office) and the Office of the Governor of Lagos State. “
Omotehinse said the Lagos State House of Assembly after being petitioned commenced an inquiry into the matter through the House Committee on Human Rights.
He said the House committee after two sittings urged the Lagos State Police Command, represented by the Assistant Commissioner, Criminal Investigation Department, to investigate the murder.
He added that concerned indigenes of the Ajiran community and the traditional leadership had made representations to the police to unravel the murder of Salami.
He however lamented that neither the Lagos State Police Command nor the Office of the IGP had taken meaningful steps to investigate the murder case.
He appealed to the governor to wade into the matter and ensure that the investigation was conducted in the interest of justice.
While making their demands known, the rights group said the leadership of the police owed the human rights community an explanation on the continued silence over the callous murder of Salami despite several petitions to his office.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, promised to get an update on the case.
He said, “Let me get an update on the case. I will get back to you.”
