For the love of Nigeria, he died.

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For the love of Nigeria, he died.

Written by Tessy Umunakwe Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Babatunde Adebayo WHEN Constable Babatunde Peter Adewale informed his family members of his intention to join the Nigeria Police, there was stiff opposition.The reason is quite obvious.

Over the years the Nigeria Police had been beset by image crisis, which is not unconnected with the infiltration of the organisation by all forms of vices, which, ironically, they are statutorily mandated to fight against.

Aiding and abetting of crime and even the outright commitment of same,arrest and detention of innocent Nigerians, shooting of innocent citizens on account their refusal to offer them (police) bribe, dereliction of duty and so on have become synonymous with the police force in Nigeria.

The consensus among Nigerians is that the police are a necessary evil which should be related with, cautiously.It was,therefore, not unexpected that Babatunde’s family rose to condemn his decision.

But the youngman had made up his mind. He stuck to his gun.

He was fully persuaded that through hardwork, dedication and honesty, he could make a difference which could ultimately, someday,permeate through the entire police force and earn them the deserved respect.He was highly optimistic.

But how wrong he was! It is a pity that this same disposition to duty eventually consumed him exactly a year after he joined the police.

On the fateful day, Sunday, August 1, 2010, he was on duty together with another colleague of his at the police station in Oke Luse in Ifon Division of Ondo State, when a gang of armed robbers who had, for some time, been terrorising the community and whose efforts the police in the area had been frustrating, opened fire on them at about 1.00 p.m.

When information about their death filtered into the town at dawn, a cloud of sorrow and confusion descended on the community as the people stayed indoors for the most part of the day.

When the news of Babatunde’s demise reached his sibling, a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, he immediately called another brother of the deceased named Biodun Adewale who resides in Akure to promptly go to Oke-Luse to find out what was happening.

At Oke Luse, Biodun was there in time to see some policemen taking his brother’s corpse to a mortuary, a stone throw to the police station.

But the body of Babatunde was later taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo when as claimed by Mr. Oluropo Adewale, another brother of the deceased, the police authorities refused to pay the owner of the mortuary on the grounds that he is “government property”. However, they eventually parted with N5,000 before they were allowed to take the body. And that was all that the police did.

All that happened to Babatunde afterwards — from the Federal Medical Centre, to the Adewale family house and eventually, to the grave were done without the participation of the authorities of the Nigeria Police.

According to Oluropo “the police didn’t show up during the burial, neither did they contribute anything not even a condolence visit. The only time we saw a policeman was when he was sent to pay for the mortuary bill. They paid only N5,000. And we even had to give him N500 when he told us he had no transport fare.”

He said further that: “The family is very unhappy about this. It’s true that there’s nothing they can do to bring our brother back but they should at least have shown some concern”.

The questions that members of the Adewale family are asking are:Is this the way to treat someone who died in active service?Was the deceased who has exhibited so much loyalty and dedication to the Nigeria Police not deserving of at least, a parting gift in the form of a last respect?

These and many other questions were raging in the mind of Oluropo when he visited the Tribune House.

The Ondo State police command has however denied the allegation that the command abandoned the constable and the family after his demise.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the command, Adeniran Aremu,told the Nigerian Tribune that men of the command accompanied the family of the deceased to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) where Adewale was deposited.

However, effort to get the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ifon, which controls Okeluse were not successful. But investigation revealed that a new DPO has just been posted to the division and was not on ground when the incident happened.

The DPO that was on duty on the fateful date, Bio Doyo, a Superintendent of Police (SP) was said to have attained his retirement age the same day of the incident.

Sources at the police headquarters in Akure however said this might not be unconnected with the failure of the division to visit the family of the deceased.

Aremu however said the next step for the family of the deceased was to come to the command for the processing of the entitlement of the dead constable.

He said, ‘The family will be welcome at the command, members of the family should come so that we can put them through on the necessary claims of the officer.

“The command has also forwarded the report of the incident to the force headquarters in Abuja and arrangements were on for the processing of the entitlements of the officers as there were two of them that were affected”.

The Ondo police image-maker however said since the officer died on duty, he would be entitled to N500, 000 insurance claim and N100, 000 burial expenses would also be paid to the family.

Additional information by Yinka Oladoyinbo.