The cries of Vivian Wakili’s children pleading, “Mummy, please don’t die” rent the air as they watched helplessly how their mother who, a few seconds ago, was heading to answer a call at the compound’s gate, was lifeless covered in a pool of her blood.
The incident of August 6 at the Evbomama community, Edo State, has yet to be erased from the children’s minds.
Their father, Mr Frank Wakili, told our correspondent that his children were still traumatised and had yet resume school after the heart-rending incident.
But Wakili’s attempt to get justice for his murdered wife had been futile despite providing a footage of the scene captured by the Close Circuit Television camera in his house.
The CCTV footage showed a woman flanked by two persons heading to the gate of the compound. A few steps to the gate, the woman fell backwards she was hit by a bullet in the upper region of her right chest. The shooter was captured fleeing the scene.
In video footage which Wakili showed to Saturday PUNCH, the woman later identified as Vivian could be seen lifeless with her eyes open covered in a pool of her blood.
In his account of the incident, Wakili said he was in the house when he heard a gunshot. He added that a quick check of the CCTV camera’s footage showed a man, alleged to be the shooter, escaping the scene on foot.
Wakili said, “She was cooking in the house when my son came to call her that someone was asking after her at the gate. She has a big shop in the house where she sells foodstuffs and when the shop is locked sometimes, people would come to the house to say what they wanted to buy and she would sell it to them.
“On that day, from the camera, I saw three boys. One of them went to her shop before they came to the gate of the house. They told my son to call, mama, a name she was called in the community, that they wanted to buy something. As she was walking towards the gate, one of them shot at her through the peephole of the pedestrian gate.”
The Bauchi State indigene further said that after he got wind of the incident, he went to where his wife lay and took her to a hospital where she was confirmed dead.
Wakili added that he took the body to a mortuary and the next day reported the matter to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department and the case was assigned to the anti-kidnapping and anti-cultism unit.
He said, “But since that day, nothing has been done. I had to conduct an underground investigation and from there, I managed to get some of their numbers (the suspects) which were still available before they became unreachable last week. The police, for over a month, said they were tracking them but had yet to make any arrest.”
He added that there were no previous altercations or misunderstanding between his wife and the community members before the incident.
The bereaved husband described the incident as shocking, alleging that the perpetrators were members of the community. Wakili added that he had yet to return to his home since the incident happened.
He said, “I have been unwell. My little girl is traumatised, she is always scared and for any little thing, she’ll plead that she should not be shot. The kids are scared. I have not stepped into my house since the day the incident occurred because I don’t know if they are after my life. I don’t know why this happened.
“I want the matter and the culprits investigated. I want justice for my wife. I have not buried her since. She is still in the mortuary.’’
Wakili noted that there had been communal clashes in the area between some of the indigenes.
He further said, “My house is somewhere at the boundary and two communities are at loggerheads over land in that area. Most of the time, one would see the warring parties with guns chasing one another and settle after some time.’’
The grieving husband suggested that confusion over such clashes could have led to his wife’s death.
The builder also alleged that one of the culprits caught on the CCTV footage was a former neighbour that left the area about six months before the incident.
He added, “My house is at the boundary of the Evomama community. I bought the land from the Obenevbebo community. I am not an indigene of the community. I bought the land and built the house. I don’t understand why they killed my wife.”
Wakili hoped that the arrest of the culprits would reveal the reason for the killing of his wife.
Also, one of the late Vivian’s cousins, Michael Akposheri, stated that the incident happened four days after he visited the family.
Akposheri, who referred to Vivian as Mama Freda, decried lack of investigation after the matter was reported to the police.
“The situation right now is that the security agencies in charge have yet to arrest the culprits who were caught on CCTV cameras. Even when they were alerted that the culprits were seen around the area, nothing was done.
“This woman was in her compound and she was called out, only for a gun to be pointed at her through the eyehole of the gate and was shot at. This matter has been on for two months and nothing has been done. My cousin has given everything that he was asked at the station over the case,” Akposheri lamented.
Security experts, doctor react
A security expert and National President, Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria, Dr Wilson Esangbedo, described the attack as an act deliberately done by the culprits to drive home a message to the husband.
He advised vigilance on the part of the husband to prevent a recurrence.
Esangbedo said, “It would appear as if the people that came knew who they wanted and for them to point the gun through the peephole, they knew exactly who they wanted to shoot at and the target was actually her.
“Perhaps they wanted to drive home a message to the husband. It might go beyond a land dispute; it may have to deal with other things the man is involved in.”
He added that forensic investigations would reveal the type of gun used and further details regarding the incident.
He said, “When this type of incident happens, if they are able to get the bullet shell, it will give them the idea of the type of bullet used. Forensic investigations would to a large extent determine the model of the gun if it was locally assembled or imported and the set of people known for using that type of gun. That would give them the idea of who they are looking out for.’’
Another security expert, Patrick Agbambu, expressed sadness over the incident.
He added “It is a sad thing that such happened. In developed countries and places where security is taken seriously, people are discouraged from having shops in the front of their houses because people of different shades of character can be attracted.”
Agbambu explained that the incident was murder and a threat to life, urging security agencies to investigate the matter and apprehend the culprits.
He said, “If there is a land tussle, the police are not to dabble in civil issues but when it gets to shooting then there is a threat to life. The police must look into it seriously and apprehend the culprits.’’
He urged individuals to discreetly report the unauthorised bearing of arms and weapons to appropriate authorities for mop-up or retrieval.
On his part, a medical doctor, Kalu John, stated that the bullet hitting a vital organ or vessel would lead to severe bleeding and death.
He added that the time frame between the incident and the arrival at the hospital was also a factor.
John said, “It depends on where the bullet hits. If she had massive blood loss, definitely, it will lead to death. There is nothing the emergency workers could have done. The time between the shot and arrival at the hospital is essential. What they could have done is to try to arrest the bleeding.”
Police response
The Spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, stated that there had been an ongoing fight in the community started by one Junior Peter Omoruyi and Campaign Enoyi.
He added that a stop had been put to chairmanship and control of sales of land in communities in Edo State.
Nwabuzor said, “This case started on August 2, 2022. The incident started when one Junior Omoruyi and Campaign Enoyi of Evbomama community, Benin City, Edo State, started a fight over a piece of land measuring 100 by 100ft in the community. The fight later culminated in a secret cult fight between Eiye and Aiye cult groups. During the fight, Junior Peter Omoruyi mobilised his members and killed two persons, one Israel and one Collins Campaign. The brother to the late Collins Campaign mobilised his members and killed one Favour Omoruyi, the brother of Junior Peter Omoruyi.
“On August 6, 2022, (one) Mrs Blessing and the daughter were also attacked but thank God, the injury was not severe. They are still alive. On August 6, Campaign Enoyi and his gang members attacked and killed one Mrs Vivian Wakili. During the investigation, it was revealed through the help of CCTV camera footage that the killing of Mrs Vivian Wakili was done by Campaign Enoyi and his gangs. The man Campaign Enoyi was later arrested and confessed to the crime. He equally confessed his gang members as Egobe, Ojo, Akan, Sheke, Wekilo, Agada, Junior and many others at large.”
The PPRO stated that a manhunt to arrest the fleeing suspects named by Enoyi had been launched.
Nwabuzor further stated that the Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, warned the Okaegheles of the communities in Edo State to desist from waging war, adding that anyone found in such acts would be arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
The spokesperson urged the husband of the late Vivian and his family to remain calm and law-abiding, adding that the police were investigating and suspects would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.
