I know the policeman who killed my mother – Son

Children of Mrs. Aderonke Adelugba, who was allegedly killed by a policeman in the Sijuade area of Akure, Ondo State, on Sunday have called on the government and human rights groups in the country to assist them to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet .

The children also lamented that the autopsy of the deceased had yet to be done because they could not afford the N42,000 bill charged them by the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Akure, where the corpse was deposited.

Fifty-year-old Adelugba was reportedly hit with the butt of a gun by one of the policemen attached to the Oda division as she appealed to the cops not to arrest one of her children who the police accused of being a hemp smoker. The deceased was said to have been rushed to a private hospital, where it was confirmed that she had died. The policemen allegedly fled the scene immediately the woman collapsed.

One of the deceased’s children, Charles, who spoke with our correspondent on behalf of others on Tuesday, appealed to the government to assist them in getting justice, saying they had nobody to assist them in fighting for justice.

The 30-year-old casual worker, said, “On the fateful day, I was inside the house, when I heard my mother shouting outside. I rushed out and I saw a policeman dragging my brother, Tosa, into their vehicle. I also saw my mother begging them not to arrest him, that her child is not a criminal.

“Suddenly, one of them hit my mother on the chest with the butt of the gun and she fell down. One of them said she was pretending that nothing was wrong with her. A few minutes later, my mother started foaming from the mouth.

“We rushed her to the hospital, but the doctor told us that she had died. By that time, the policemen had fled the area.”

Charles said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Isaac Eke, held a meeting with members of the family on Monday, adding that the commissioner asked the family to carry out an autopsy. He, however, lamented that the family could not do so because the members could not afford the N42,000 demanded by the hospital.

“The corpse is still at the specialist hospital; we don’t have the money for the autopsy because they said we should bring N42,000 and we could not afford it.

-Punch