By Dr. Kayode Ajulo, Counsel to the family
Let me thank all of you for being here despite the short notice. We have called this press conference to give clarity of issue on the killing the Nigerian Police and to demand for not only justice, but a comprehensive reform of the Police Force in our country.
As you are all aware, on the night of Saturday, the 13th day of October, 2018 four persons driving a Mazda car, trailed, targeted, intercepted, brushed and blocked the vehicle being driven by the late Anita after which one of the occupants of the vehicle came out to shoot at the rear tyre of her vehicle and shot her at close range. This fellow who was later identified as a Superintendent of Police shot into the air to disperse crowd, but when his bullet got expended, he immediately brought out his identity card to identify himself as a Police officer. Late Anita, a 31 year old lady who recently returned from the United Kingdom on the completion of her studies to render her services to her country, died the same night at Gwarimpa Hospital due to injuries sustained from the gunshot.
It is important that we do not obscure the heinous crime by putting to fore that the deceased is a daughter of Mrs. Nenadi Usman, former Minister of Finance, rather, the spotlight should be centered on the fact that it has become a near-norm by those paid to protect Nigerians to kill them at the slightest opportunity. This is tragic and also frightening.
What this means is that we are all not safe because officers of the Nigerian police can murder any one of us, our relatives and friends at the slightest pretext that there was an altercation even when there was none as in the case of Ms. Anita Akapson.
It is pertinent to let you know that the late Anita Akapson was murdered sitting inside her car! Yes! She was shot through the driver’s side door of the car with the bullet passing through her abdomen, after the killer policemen had shot one of her tyres.
While we appreciate the fact that the Inspector General of Police has ordered the detention and investigation of the officers involved in the killing of Ms. Anita Akapson, we demand to know the identity of the officers.
#Justice4Anita