Her sons , Akeem, 40 and Jamiu, 33, were shot dead in the neighbourhood by some bandits on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 in what appeared to be a robbery attack.
But the Lagos State Police Command said the deaths resulted from a clash between two rival cults in the community.
It was learnt that Jamiu, a worker at a steel producing company in Ikorodu, was returning from work around 7.30pm that day when the hoodlums accosted him at Odonla bus stop – some distance from his parents’ house.
They were said to have dispossessed him of his phone and money at gunpoint.
It was gathered that he protested having discovered that he knew one of the assailants and was thereafter shot in the process.
The news of the attack reportedly reached Basirat and Akeem at home and they raced to the scene.
The hoodlums had disappeared by the time they arrived at the spot.
Our correspondent learnt that Akeem and a tricycle rider rushed Jamiu to a hospital in the community.
He was, however, rejected and was being taken to another hospital when the bandits reportedly ambushed them at a junction and opened fire on the tricycle.
While a bullet was said to have grazed the tricycle rider’s ear, it hit Akeem in the back. He and his brother bled to death before they could get medical treatment.
Sorrow enveloped the family’s residence when our correspondent visited the Rasheeds on Thursday.
The deceased’s mother, Basirat, was in tears as she bemoaned the irreparable loss his children’s death had brought to the family. “Two grown children killed at once!” She exclaimed, wiping off tears that streamed down her cheeks with a veil.
She recounted, “Akeem was a bricklayer and he had his own house in Fakale. He just got married. He was waiting for his younger brother to come back from work so that they would eat what I had prepared for them together before he would go home. Jamiu lived with me.
“Suddenly, somebody rushed into our compound to tell us that Jamiu had been shot at the bus stop. Akeem rushed there and met him unconscious. The hoodlums had fled the scene. They had collected his phone and money before they shot him. We learnt he was shot after he identified one of them.
“By the time I got to the scene, Akeem had taken him to a hospital in a tricycle. The hospital rejected him. As they were going to another hospital, those hoodlums ambushed them and shot at the tricycle. They shot Akeem in the back.”
The mother of three stated that Akeem was survived by a pregnant wife while his brother was still single, adding that they were responsible persons.
She called on the police to track down the killers of his sons and ensure that the family got justice.
She said, “They were not cult members and they were not involved in street fights. We have been living in this community for over 20 years. My sons did not stay outdoors beyond 10pm. Some vigilantes took their bodies to the Sagamu Road Police Station and tagged them thugs terrorising the community.
“Akeem’s wife is pregnant. She has been in a serious grief since the incident happened. She is now with her parents. My husband and last child have relocated to our hometown in Osogbo, Osun State. I am staying back to follow up on this matter. My children must not be killed without getting justice.”
A neighbour, Mrs Opeyemi Azeez, said she had been living in fear in the wake of the attack, calling on security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.
She said, “I hawk food around the community. I usually return home in the evening. It was Jamiu who looked after my children whenever he was at home. His elder brother was a nice person too. One of his neighbours at Fakale said he had promised to buy gifts for her children during Christmas. Their killers must not go scot-free.
“Since that attack, everybody has been staying indoors once it is 8pm. I heard the sound of fireworks on Wednesday and I was trembling. I thought they were gunshots.”
A friend of Jamiu, Mrs Ayomide Oluwadare, told City Round about how she and Jamiu had planned to make Christmas celebration a memorable one.
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“We planned to have a feast in our area on Christmas Day. He said he wanted to travel to Osogbo for the celebration, but I begged him to stay behind. He was a well-behaved person and was friendly. I still find it difficult to believe I would not see him again,” Oluwadare stated.
Mr Umar Hassan, who resides in a compound next to the bereaved family’s house, said he was concerned by the emotional state of the siblings’ mother, describing the incident as “sad and unbearable.”
“I can’t imagine how the woman would cope. It is the presence of sympathisers that keeps her strong. Most times when she is alone, she heaves heavy sighs. I just moved here and do not know much about the siblings, but they were respectful,” he added.
A commercial motorcyclist, who identified himself simply as Tolu, said he was informed about the attack by a friend.
He said, “I had carried somebody to Odogunyan during the attack, but a friend who witnessed it said it was a robbery incident. I learnt the robbers collected a phone and money from the man (Jamiu). He was shot because he knew one of the robbers. They probably killed his elder brother, who rushed to the scene, thinking he (Jamiu) had revealed the identity to him.”
But the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Chike Oti, said the siblings were killed during a clash between two rival cult groups.
He stated that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the murder and that the police were on the trail of other suspects.
He said, “Around 8pm on December 19, two rival cult groups engaged each other in a street fight. In the process, two brothers lost their lives. One Damilare was arrested in connection with the murder. The case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for further investigation.”
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