Family Narrates How Kwara Police Killed Mogaji, Roped Him As Kidnapper

Wife and daughter of the late Mogaji Soliu Abdulsalami of the Araoyo family of Omoda community in Ilorin, Kwara State, Funmi Soliu-Abdulsalami, and Taiwo, have narrated how the police allegedly killed the Mogaji and falsely tagged him a kidnapper.

The daughter of the deceased, Taiwo Mogaji, while speaking in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH stated that the Kwara State Police Command posted online the picture of her father, claiming that they had killed a kidnapper.

While narrating how it happened, she said,

“On that day, my dad visited his friend’s block industry after their meeting at the State House, just like my mum said. They were offered meat pie and drinks at the governor’s place as refreshment and the governor also gave them some money to share among themselves.

“I had gone there with him on several occasions too and my dad never kept secrets from us.

“It was shocking to hear about his death because we didn’t see it coming. Our dad never really kept late nights out, so, we were surprised to realise that at 11pm, dad wasn’t home yet. Our mum not being at home made us not to realise this on time because most of us are married and we don’t live with them anymore.

“On the morning of Wednesday, September 14, 2022, our attention was drawn to what was posted online by the police, alleging that our dad was a kidnapper. This was posted on the Internet by the Police Public Relations Officer in Kwara State, Okasanmi Ajayi, alleging that the police killed two kidnappers and two ran away. That was what he posted. He said that it was four bandits/kidnappers, two were killed and two escaped into the jungle. The children of his friend (Alaase) that escaped would later narrate their ordeal and explain all that happened. Our dad was said to have left the block industry at about 9pm that day with the three boys.

“According to the boys, they noticed that a car was trailing them and when they drew the attention of my dad to it, he told them that the car might just be going its way, not really trailing them until the car suddenly overtook and intercepted them.

“At that point, my dad engaged the reverse gear quickly but he ran into a heap of sand. My dad was always driving with just one hand; he started driving like that after he suffered a paralysis in his left hand about 34 years ago. I’m quite sure that if it were not for the paralysis on his other arm, he wouldn’t have died the way he did because he was a very good driver.

After hitting the heap of sand, he came down of the car to ask what the matter was and that was how the assailants shot him with local bullets on his chest. It was surprising that the police said what they said.“

When asked if the Police take responsibility for killing, she explained that “the PPRO, Okasanmi Ajayi, posted on the Internet that two kidnappers/bandits were killed by the Kwara State police officers. They (the police) said they killed him, alleging that he was a kidnapper. His body was riddled with pellets that spread around his chest and abdomen. After shooting him, a cutlass was also used on his neck. The children that were there did explain all that.

“According to what we heard, the community where our dad died is in a land dispute with my dad’s friend, Alaase. My dad wasn’t involved in any land dispute because we didn’t even have any land to sell. Even when Alaase went to the police station in the community where my dad was killed, we were told that the community members chased him with stones and sticks, so, he couldn’t do anything. Eventually, they took the case to the Commissioner of Police and that was how the case went.”

The wife of the late Magaji, Funmilayo Soliu-Abdulsalami, who spoke during an interview with the newsmen sadly expressed, “they want to oppress us. 

On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, my husband went to the Government House to see the governor as the governor requested a meeting with all the Mogajis. After the meeting, he left. He informed us about his movement; he always did that. After the meeting, he left to see his friend, Mogaji Alaase, who owns a block industry somewhere along the expressway. I was not around on that day, as I made a trip to Lagos.

He then told his friend that he would be leaving because his wife was not at home. Then, his friend requested that my husband should give his three children a ride home.

“My husband and one of the children that sat in the front were killed. I see this as total oppression. They used the powers they have to oppress us (sobs). They just want to drag his name in the mud and spoil his reputation.

The Informant 247