Reactions have not stopped following the tragic death of Barrister Ombolanle Raheem, a Lagos attorney, at the hands of a trigger-happy police officer in the State.
Recall that on Christmas Day, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, or ASP, opened fire on the unarmed lawyer as she was returning from a Christmas church service on Sunday in the Ajah neighborhood of Lagos.
As Raheem and her family were returning from church, the policeman assigned to the Ajah Police Station reportedly attempted to stop them with the help of his crew.
According to reports, the gunman started shooting at the victim as her automobile attempted to perform a U-turn beneath the Ajah Bridge. She was later taken to a hospital and tragically pronounced dead there.
The three major political parties’ presidential candidatesâAtiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, and Peter Obi of the Labour Partyâreacted by denouncing the incident on Twitter.
Tinubu asserts that the tragedy could have been prevented and that it is crucial and urgent to overhaul the Nigerian Police Force.
I share the sorrow and annoyance of Nigerians over the senseless murder of Mrs. Ombolanle Raheem by a police officer on Christmas Day in Lagos, the author stated in his letter.
“The needless tragedy, which killed a family a cherished member and our nation a hardworking attorney, underlines once more the essential importance and urgency of revamping the Nigeria Police Force.”
In a same spirit, Atiku reiterated the urgent need for Police reforms in his tweet, calling the incident heartbreaking and claiming that doing so will sanitize the Force.
“It is tragic and unacceptable that a police officer shot Bolanle Raheem,” he tweeted. The most recent shooting highlights the critical need for police reforms that will sanitize the Force and align it with best policing procedures.
Peter Obi, a candidate for the Labour Party, however, attributed the ongoing arbitrary executions by security personnel to their inadequate training.
“A well-trained and competent police officer will not indulge in police brutality,” he claimed.
If elected president in February 2023, Obi promised to implement rapid “Security Sector Reform and Governance, SSRG,” much like the other contenders.
He wrote, âHer killing, and the loss of many innocent lives across the nation to trigger-happy policemen, is the reason why I will embark on immediate and intrusive security sector reform and governance (SSRG).
âRelatedly, we must improve the functioning and effectiveness of the police by strengthening their civilian oversight as well as increasing their strength, materiel, financial allocation, and enhanced professional training.
âOur national policing strength must be relative to our national population and meet global standardsâ.
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