By Tony Adibe
As Nigerians continue to react to the gruesome murder of Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, a pregnant mother and lawyer allegedly by a policeman on a Christmas day, the Women Aid Collective (WACOL), an Enugu-based Non-Governmental Organisation has strongly condemned the act.
While calling on the Federal Government to quickly address the recurring issues of extra-judicial killings, WACOL said the murder of the young female lawyer was quite “inhumane, wicked, absurd, ridiculous, and barbaric,” adding: “It is a crime against humanity, and we must hold someone to account.”
In a statement issued in Enugu and made available to NewsBits on Wednesday, the Founder and Executive Director of WACOL, Prof Joy Ezeilo (SAN) said it was sad to note that the reported murder of Mrs Raheem “by a trigger-happy Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, who is attached to Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, Lagos State,” occurred barely two years after the#EndSARS saga which “brought to light the despicable acts and atrocities of some members of the Nigerian Police Force who have turned from protecting the lives of the citizenry to taking the same arbitrarily, and barely after a week Gafaru Buraimoh, a resident of Happy Land Estate in Ajah was killed by a stray bullet from a trigger-happy inspector attached to the same division of the Nigeria Police force.”
NewsBits learnt that WACOL is a reputable NGO having observer status with the United Nations. It has its Head Office in Enugu and branch offices in several major cities in Nigeria. Citing the Nigerian Constitution to justify why nobody’s life should be taken arbitrarily, Ezeilo, who is a Professor of Public Law at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, said: “Section 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN), 1999, provides that “every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offense of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria”.
“We make bold to say that this noble provision of our Constitution has been abused time and time again, and this is the time to take action. The death of Omobolanle Raheem must not be swept under the carpet like the rest. The right to life of a Nigerian citizen must not be left in the hands of the police or any other individual who feels that his neighbour is unfit to live unless we are breeding a chaotic society which would in turn haunt all of us,” said the Executive Director, who quickly asked:
“How can we possibly explain that a trained policeman pulled the trigger at a vehicle with unarmed women and children on Christmas day? This is inhumane, wicked, absurd, ridiculous, and barbaric. It is a crime against humanity, and we must hold someone to account.”
She stated further that WACOL, a human rights defender for women and children, has lent its voice to the call on the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian police force, and the Judiciary to as a matter of urgency,
“1. Thoroughly investigate, determine responsibility, and bring to justice ASP Drambi Vandi and all his accomplices. This would act as a deterrent to all those who might think that the law is silent in the face of crime.
“2. Train and Re-train the members of the police force in the rules of engagement and the standard operating procedures (S.O.P) to avoid a repeat of such crimes.
“3. Ensure that each member of the Nigerian police force receives proper medical and psychiatric attention before being posted to their various stations
“4. Uphold the right to life of every citizen by giving expeditious Justice on issues of this nature.”
According to Ezeilo, WACOL “condemns any form of extra Judicial killings and police brutality and calls on the Nigerian Government to address this Monster.”
