The tragic story of 26-year-old Anosikwa Patrick, a promising realtor, highlights the devastating consequences of police brutality in Nigeria. Patrick’s life was cut short in a horrifying manner, leaving his loved ones shattered and the community outraged.

On what seemed like a routine outing with his girlfriend, Joy Ebere, to unwind at Skymall in the Ajah area of Lagos, Patrick encountered a nightmare instead. Little did he know that he would never return to his familiar surroundings, as he fell victim to the very officer entrusted with his protection.

Patrick, the second child in a family of six, had humble beginnings, residing in the densely populated Ajegunle area of Lagos with his parents. However, fate smiled upon him, and he eventually relocated to Ajah, seeking better opportunities, while his parents settled in Ago-Palace in the Okota area of the state.

The irony of Patrick’s situation is painfully evident. Instead of finding refuge and relaxation in his new environment, he encountered tragedy at the hands of those meant to uphold the law and ensure safety. His dreams, aspirations, and potential were extinguished in an act of senseless violence, leaving behind a grieving family and a community grappling with anger and sorrow.

Patrick’s story serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address police brutality and reform law enforcement practices in Nigeria. No individual should fear for their life while simply going about their daily activities. The loss of Patrick underscores the critical importance of accountability and justice in preventing similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

Unfortunately, the curtains fell on the life’s journey of the realtor  after he was stabbed in the thigh thigh  by a police man.

Explaining how life was snuffed out of him, his girlfriend, Beatrice  said perhaps he would have survived the injury, had the hospital he was rushed to attended to him.

The harrowing account provided by Joy Ebere sheds light on the tragic events that unfolded on April 20, 2024, at Skymall in Lagos. Her recollection paints a chilling picture of the senseless violence that claimed the life of her boyfriend and left her and their loved ones grappling with shock and grief.

As the night unfolded, Joy and her boyfriend ventured to Skymall around 10 p.m., seeking a moment of relaxation at the bar. However, what began as a simple outing took a devastating turn when her boyfriend excused himself, presumably to meet someone at the entrance of the mall.

Minutes later, the tranquility of the evening was shattered by cries for help. Rushing outside, Joy was confronted with a horrifying sight: her boyfriend lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by concerned friends. The presence of an armed policeman, wielding a dagger stained with blood, only added to the chaos and confusion.

In the aftermath of the altercation, instead of offering assistance or providing an explanation for his actions, the policeman’s response was chillingly indifferent. His claim that her boyfriend had slapped him served as a feeble justification for the violence that had ensued.

The subsequent ordeal at multiple hospitals further compounded the tragedy. Despite desperate attempts to seek medical attention for her boyfriend’s critical condition, they encountered rejection and callous indifference at every turn. From Doren Specialist Hospital to Emirates Hospital, the response was the same: refusal to administer treatment and a callous redirection to another facility.

Tragically, as they made their way to the General Hospital Marina, it became apparent that her boyfriend’s condition was rapidly deteriorating. Despite their frantic efforts, he succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital, leaving behind a void that can never be filled.

Joy’s heartbreaking account underscores the urgent need for accountability, justice, and reform within Nigeria’s law enforcement and healthcare systems. No individual should face such brutality and callous disregard for their life and well-being. As she mourns the loss of her beloved boyfriend, Joy’s courage in sharing her story serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and dignity in the face of adversity.

Continuing, she said, “ Another police that accompanied us to the hospital , said he was not there when the incident happened. He said he was alerted by some private security men. He left us when my boyfriend was confirmed dead.

Nobody knew exactly what happened. the Sky Mall Manager said the officers were not regular security personnel of Sky Mall but that they were  brought in to protect the environment.”

Also speaking with  Saturday Vanguard, the immediate elder brother of the deceased, Augustine, said his family was yet to come to terms with the rude shock.

He said, “My grandmother is going through emotional pain with us. I have seen the Sky Mall Manager, who was detained when the incident happened, at the Ajah Police division. We’ve been hearing about police killing people they’re meant to protect, but my family never knew one day it would get to us. We seek nothing but justice”, he stated. When contacted, the Lagos State Police Command through its spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin assured Lagosians that investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Patrick had commenced.

Tragedy struck along the Akungba-Ikare Road in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State on Friday, claiming the lives of at least three individuals in a fatal road accident.

The accident involved a Toyota Camry car bearing the registration number plate LND 592 GX, as well as two commercial buses.

Eyewitnesses reported that the driver of the Toyota Camry unexpectedly opened the car door, striking a motorcycle carrying the victims. This action caused the occupants of the motorcycle to fall onto the road, where they were subsequently run over by another vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.

Sadly, the victims lost their lives at the scene of the accident. The driver of the Toyota Camry fled from the scene out of fear of being attacked, while enraged youths in the vicinity set the car ablaze in retaliation.

The incident underscores the importance of road safety measures and the need for caution while driving, as well as the devastating consequences that can result from reckless behavior on the road.

The Ondo Sector Commander of the Road Safety Commission, Mr. Ezekiel Son’Allah, has verified the occurrence of the accident, attributing it to wrongful overtaking and route violation by the vehicles involved.

Son’Allah stated, “Three persons lost their lives in the accident, and it was caused by wrongful overtaking and route violation.” He further mentioned that the victims were transported to Aduloju Hospital in Akungba by the police.

In addition to urging motorists to adhere strictly to traffic regulations, the FRSC boss suggested the installation of speed breakers on the road to help prevent recurring accidents. This proactive measure aims to enhance road safety and reduce the occurrence of tragic incidents on the Akungba-Ikare Road.

The police in Lagos, recently, recorded a breakthrough by arresting 10 members of suspected criminals who specialize in exhuming body parts from cemeteries and killing human for rituals.

Among the apprehended suspects was an 85-year-old traditional ruler named Yusuf Lawal Muse from Benin Republic. He was accompanied by Ademola Akinlosota, 33, believed to be the mastermind of the operation. Additionally, Sunday Badonu, also known as Osekure, 25, was among those arrested, along with his father, Vijamiya Badonu, who served as an idol priest. Dada Trival, 33, the father of Osetura, was also taken into custody. Other suspects included Hunsu Segun, 35, the Bale of Akalekumo in Badagry, and Balogun, a member of the Ogboni fraternity in Badagry. Amodu Wahab, known as Alhaji Bororo, aged 58, was identified as a specialist in procuring both fresh and dried human body parts. Kamolu Aderibigbe, 44, a trade-medical doctor in Ijedfodo, and Muyibat Adesina, 49, a herbalist who utilized human body parts in her concoctions, were also apprehended during the operation.

Crime Guard discovered that the traditional ruler, Yusuf Lawal Muse, hails from Diasou in Benin Republic and is married to six women, with whom he has 21 children. After relocating to Ibatefin-Ikpoka in Ogun State, he later settled in Adodo, also in Ogun State, where he lived with his wives and children until his arrest.

In an interview with reporters, the octogenarian confessed to his intentions, revealing that he sought to kill his son, Musa, and utilize his body parts for herbal purposes. He explained that his decision stemmed from Musa’s involvement in criminal activities and his threats against his own life, particularly after learning that he had been excluded from his father’s will.

Despite his initial plans, the traditional ruler expressed remorse for his actions, acknowledging that Musa was his own flesh and blood. He lamented the consequences of his actions, including the potential repercussions from his community in Benin Republic. With a heavy heart, he sought forgiveness from both his son and from a higher power, recognizing the gravity of his wrongdoing and the irreversible damage it had caused to their relationship and his reputation.

However, while the traditional ruler was confessing to the team of policemen from Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Special Squad Team 3, led by DSP Toyin Omosebi, it was learned that the leader of the ritualist’s gang, Ademola Akinlosotu, 33, son of a Pastor, opened up stating that he was the person contracted by the traditional ruler to kill his son. He reportedly also stated that before then, they were taking dismembered body parts, both dry and fresh, to the traditional ruler after killing their victims.

He confessed that so far, they killed two victims since November, last year and taken the body parts to both the traditional ruler and other buyers who have all been arrested.
How it all started

According to him, I started by supplying dry corpses exhumed from cemeteries but my clients later coerced me to be supplying fresh body parts. That was how I graduated from supplying dried body parts from burial grounds to supplying newly murdered fresh body parts of newly murdered to my clients. My clients said dried human parts were no longer in vogue. “My first victim was a desperate job seeker whom I met at Okeho in Ogun state at a drinking joint where he normally relaxed with some bottles of drinks every evening. It was the boy who approached me saying he needed a job in Lagos. I then called my client, Alhaji Amodu Wahab and told him that I had seen somebody to kill. I took the unsuspecting boy from Okeho to Alhaji’s office where the boy was accessed and confirmed good for ritual.

How victims were killed

“While I was on my way, I called an Ifa Priest named Sunday Padonu popularly known as Osetura and informed him of the whole arrangements but on their way, Osetura wasn’t picking up his calls anymore. I had to call Baale to inform him but he called Balogun and briefed him that Osetura was not picking up his calls. Balogun then assures that he has a slaughtering ground where the boy can be killed. We took the boy to Ado Odo, slaughtered him dismembered his body and then took the body parts to Alhaji.”

He also told police investigators that he was introduced to Osetura, one of the arrested suspects, by Baale and they started chatting online. “Osetura asked me how I used to exhume bodies and I narrated the process to him. We know the hours when security men at the cemeteries stay out and after targeting them, we strike by exhuming the bodies quickly and disappearing from the scene. So, after this, Osekura assured me that he had a space in his house at Igbo-Ora, Ogun state where he could kill and dismember dead human bodies. He usually carried out divination after we had gotten a victim to know whether the ritual would work or not. Once he confirmed that our victim was okay, we would kill the person and cut his body which would be distributed and sold to clients.

Drama at the Slaughterhouse

“We nearly missed killing our second victim. When he was shot, the bullet missed and caught him in the hand. He did not suspect me when I led him to the enclave. As he was bleeding and crying out, we purposely allowed him to bleed to death after stamping on his stomach and body.

“We took the body which was still shaking from that spot to where he was being cut into pieces. I sat on the guy’s stomach while Osekura brought a knife to cut his head. Others held the victim’s legs and as Osekura was trying to strangulate him, his fingers mistakenly entered our victim’s mouth and got stuck. He had to quickly use a knife to slit his throat and that was how he was able to remove his fingers.

“I must say that I have not made enough money from this evil deed. I am from a scattered home because my father and mother separated a long time ago and I have not seen my father for a long time. I dropped out of school at the primary level because I could not cope. I ended up being a bricklayer until I started exhuming bodies from cemeteries. Now that I am in the police net, I regret all I have done. I leave my fate in the hands of God with a firm promise to change my ways if given another chance.”: