The mother of the 14-year-old girl, Jumoke Monsurat, who was killed during the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos on Saturday, has alleged that the police threatened to shoot at her when she demanded the corpse of her child.
Naija News earlier reported that Jumoke was reportedly hit by a stray bullet shortly after policemen opened fire to disperse those at the rally who were agitating for Yoruba Nation.
However, the police denied its involvement in Jumoke’s death, saying she was stabbed and that the blood found around her corpse was dry and that it was an indication that the body was not fresh.
But in an interview with the PUNCH, the mother, Ifeoluwa Oyeleke narrated how she had visited the police station in company with her brother, but the policemen on duty threatened to shoot them in the leg if they didn’t leave immediately.
She also said the policemen also threatened to fire a tear gas canister at them but she did not state which police station they had visited.
The distraught mother-of-four also disclosed that the victim was her first child.
Ifeoluwa was quoted as saying, “I got a call while I was in Ikeja where I had gone to work.
“When I asked to know what it was about, I was told that there was no issue but that my presence was needed at home.
“It was when I got home that I learnt of what had happened. I was told that the bullet shot by the police killed my daughter.”
Ifeoluwa stated that she had yet to see the corpse of her daughter since she got the news of her death yesterday.
She said: “They’ve not released her corpse to us. My brother and I, in last night’s rain, got there, but we were not allowed in. We heard them saying that if we stayed too long, they would shoot our legs and fire a teargas canister at us.
“After a while, my brother discussed with them and they allowed us in to see their Area Commander who said he heard that shots were fired but that he didn’t know which station the officers behind it came from.
“He said this could be determined when the extracted bullet is examined.”
When asked if the police had told her anything about her daughter’s corpse, she said no, adding that she didn’t know where they took it to.
She stated that she would love to have a lawyer who would help her seek justice concerning the death of her daughter.
Speaking further, Ifeoluwa revealed that Jumoke was an apprentice at an ice cream shop and had just concluded Junior Secondary School education.
“She usually sat in the shop and never hawked.
“She had three siblings who are all girls. Her dad is dead,” she said; adding, “Jumoke was a good girl who hardly got annoyed; she was hard-working.
“Anyone who can rise to our defence should please do,” she pleaded.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News