Metro

How Drunk Policeman Killed My Son, Widow Cries Out

Published

5 months ago

March 21, 2025

A widow of 11 years with nine children, Aisha Hassan, has accused operatives of the Niger State Police command of killing his 27-year-old son, Sani Khalid, in cold blood.

It was gathered that the incident happened in the Angwa-Kaje area of Maitumbi, Minna, Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, where she lived with her children before Khalid was allegedly killed by a police bullet.

Aisha, 45, The PUNCH that she and her children were sleeping in their apartment around 3am when Khalid stood up and went outside to get some fresh air due to the hot weather conditions.

She said before she knew what was happening, she heard an approaching police patrol vehicle and also heard a gunshot. When she heard the second gunshot, Instinctively, she told the children who were with her that somebody had been shot.

Aisha immediately ran outside to look for Khalid, and to her shock, she found Khalid lying on a bench in the nearby shop of a Mai Shai or tea vendor.

According to the widow, she cautiously went to where Khalid was lying down and shook him to get up and come inside the house, but Khalid did not react. When she repeated the act, Khalid fell down from the bench lifeless.

Aisha said she began to scream that the police had killed her son. Neighbours who were getting ready for the day’s Muslim fasting session soon gathered around to console her while some quickly took the body of Khalid to a nearby hospital where the doctors confirmed that he had been shot dead.

Narrating her ordeal, she told The PUNCH during an exclusive interview: “My name is Aisha Hassan. I lost my husband 11 years ago. We had nine children, but one died.

“On the night that he died, he was actually killed just like that. We were all in the house around 3am. When Sani got up and said he was going to take some fresh air.

“Shortly after, I heard the sound of a police patrol vehicle, and it was later followed by a gunshot. When I heard the second gunshot, I instinctively told my children that somebody had been shot. I left the room to look for Sani. I found him lying on a bench at a mai shai’s shop. I went to wake him to tell him to come inside the house.

“I shook him, but he was lifeless. I tried to shake him again, and he rolled down to the floor. I began to scream that the police had shot my son. People came over there and said we should take him to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, the doctors confirmed him dead.

“Sani, my son, was like the family’s breadwinner after my husband died. He was a footballer and used to do some trading in the market, but now that the police have killed him, they should bring back my son.”

Some neighbours in the Angwa Kaje area told The PUNCH that the policeman who shot Khalid was obviously drunk when he shot the gun, as he also attempted to shoot the mai hai but the mai shai narrowly escaped.

According to one of the neighbours, he said Khalid was unarmed and lying on the mai shai’s bench when the bullet hit him. They pointed out that the place was quiet as it was still very early in the morning.

“The policeman was drunk when he came down from the patrol van. He just shot at Khalid in the stomach while he was on the bench. He also tried to shoot the mai shai, but he escaped from the shop. We were getting ready for our fasting, and there was no disturbance. We were just wondering what the police came to do when we heard the sound of their patrol van,” one of the neighbours who gave his name as Ibrahim told our correspondent.

When The PUNCH visited Aisha at her Angwa Kaje home, she was still in a mourning mood with over 50 Muslim women who came to comfort and condole her. They all sat on the floor on the premises, speaking in hushed tones.

Aisha, who could not speak the English language, responded to questions through an interpreter who accompanied The PUNCH.

Meanwhile, the Niger State Police command spokesman Wasiu Abiodun confirmed Khalid’s killing, saying it was a stray bullet that hit Kalid.

He also said the youths in the area were causing unrest during the incident.

However, he was silent on the allegation that the policeman who shot the bullet that killed Khalid was under the influence of alcohol.

Abiodun simply stated, “On 10/3/2025 at about 3am, a Police patrol team attached to Maitumbi received a distress call that some youths were causing unrest at the Angwan-Kaje area of Maitumbi

“The team mobilised to the area, and unfortunately, the team was attacked by the youths with stones. In a bid to disperse the boys, one of the patrol team members fired gunshots, and stray bullets allegedly hit one Sani Khalid of the same address on the stomach

“The Police Command received the complaint of the alleged shooting, and DPO Maitumbi has been directed to investigate and identify the personnel who allegedly committed such an act for further necessary action.

“Further development and action taken will be made known to the public in due course,” Abiodun concluded.

Metro

Lagos Woman Remanded For False Foreign Currency Declaration

Published

17 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday remanded Ifunanya Phil-Olumba in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre over allegations of falsely declaring and failing to declare foreign currency totaling $14,567, £1,030, and CA$40 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had preferred three counts against the defendant, accusing her of making false declarations to the Nigeria Customs Service and failing to declare foreign currency, contrary to Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

At the resumed proceedings, before Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, the prosecution, led by Okezie Chineye, called two witnesses.

The first prosecution witness, an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mrs. Stella Ogar, told the court that the defendant was intercepted during inward clearance from the United Kingdom.

According to Ogar, the defendant declared only CA$4,000, despite allegedly being in possession of CA$14,000, alongside other undeclared sums.

“We arrested her and handed her over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for further investigation,” Ogar testified.

The second prosecution witness, an EFCC operative, Felicia Paul, confirmed that the defendant was handed over to the commission by the customs.

She stated that the defendant was interrogated and opted to make a written statement, which the prosecution sought to tender in evidence.

However, defence counsel, Edwin Anikwem, objected to the admissibility of the statement, contending that it was not obtained voluntarily and was made without the presence of counsel, contrary to legal requirements.

However, Justice Dipeolu adjourned further hearing to August 19 for continuation of the trial.

The EFCC alleged that on July 22, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, the defendant falsely declared the sum of $4,000 while in possession of $14,567; failed to declare CA$40; and falsely declared £1,000 while in possession of £1,030.

According to the anti-graft agency, the offences committed contravened Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Metro

Two Varsity Students Die In Bayelsa Road Crash

Published

19 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

A head-on collision between a truck and a commercial tricycle on the Yenagoa/Amassoma Road, Bayelsa State, has claimed the lives of two students from Niger Delta University, Amassoma.

The accident which occurred on Wednesday also left other passengers of the ill-fated tricycle critically injured.

Residents attributed the accident to absence of road signs and overspending by drivers as the crash occurred at a bend on the road.

The truck negotiated the bend at high speed, lost control and hit the tricycle at top speed, crushing it.

A trader, Godspower Okilo told The PUNCH on Thursday that the truck driver was moving too fast, and by the time he realised the danger, it was already too late.

He said, “The Keke (tricycle) had no chance of escaping the danger because the tipper was already close to it.
“We’ve been complaining about reckless truck drivers on this road for years, but nothing changes.

“The dangerous impact left the tricycle damaged beyond recognition. Good Samaritans rushed to the scene, pulling survivors from the wreckage and transporting the injured to the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa.

“The bodies of the deceased were later evacuated to a nearby morgue.

“This incident has renewed calls for stricter traffic enforcement, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the State Police Command should intensify patrols, introduce speed breakers, and conduct regular safety checks on heavy-duty vehicles.”

Another resident of the area, Mrs. Ebike Ekain, said if the appropriate authorities do not act now, more lives will be lost to accidents in the nearest future.

The Yenagoa/Amassoma Road is without doubt the most dangerous road in Bayelsa State due to the number of accidents that occur every year.
The reconstruction of the stretch from the Etegwe Roundabout to Tombia Community resulted in several turns which motorists do not consider as they often drive at dangerous speeds.

The Federal Road Safety Commission usually dispatches an ambulance to the road which is stationed at Tombia Community and sometimes at the roundabout leading to Agudama-Ekpetiama Community.

Spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, DSP Musa Muhammad, who confirmed the accident, said investigation is ongoing to unravel the cause of the accident.

“Yes, an accident happened there and we are investigating the causes of the accident,” he stated.

Metro

OAU Medical Student Kills Self After Failing Exam Twice

Published

19 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has confirmed the death of a part-two medical student, Ajibola Ibitayo, who reportedly committed suicide.

A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, on Thursday, stated that the student with the matriculation number: DEN/2021/023), committed suicide after failing his examinations.

Olarewaju said the results of examinations were released on Wednesday and it would have required Ibitayo to repeat Part Two for the second time.

“The entire community of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has been thrown into mourning following the death of a Part Two student of the Faculty of Dentistry.

“The student, identified as Ajibola Ibitayo (Matriculation Number: DEN/2021/023), committed suicide after learning that the results of the last semester examinations, released yesterday, would require him to repeat Part Two for another academic year.

“He had already been repeating Part Two during the last session.

“The student, whose father is a medical doctor, reportedly injected himself at his parents’ home in Ejigbo, Osun State,” the statement read partly.

Saddened by the development, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Simeon Bamire, appealed to parents and guardians to instil in their children and wards the understanding that temporary setbacks in the pursuit of success are part of life and not the end of it.

Bamire also urged students and young people to view failure as an opportunity to redirect their paths toward success and greater achievements.

He prayed that God Almighty would grant the parents, family, Faculty, College of Health Sciences, and the University community the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.