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Fawale: DSS operatives deny involvement in Osun police officer’s death

By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
19 April 2022   |   4:04 am
Two operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Osun State Command have denied involvement in the alleged fight that led to the death of a Police Corporal in the state, Rauf Fawale.

Fawale

Two operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Osun State Command have denied involvement in the alleged fight that led to the death of a Police Corporal in the state, Rauf Fawale.

Fawale was allegedly beaten to coma in the midnight of January 14,  2021 after a fight broke out at a birthday party at Riverside Bar & Lounge, Osogbo, by David Olowoporoku, a DSS operative in the state and two of his colleagues.

But in their testimonies, two operatives of the secret police identified as Ajanaku and Bamidele Mustapha told a coroner inquest, investigating circumstances that led to Fawale’s death that though, they were at the bar the night the incident happened, they never participated in the birthday and neither did they had a brawl with the deceased.

Ajanaku said he was at the bar to catch fun alongside Mustapha and that they left there around 10:00p.m. on January 14, 2021.

He said, “I left the bar with Mustapha because he was supposed to be on night duty. At about 11:00pm, I received a call from David Olowoporoku, asking me where I was. I told him that I was at home. Between 12:00a.m. and 1:00a.m, I received another call from another colleague that David Olowoporoku was in trouble and needed financial assistance.

Immediately, I called him (Olowoporoku) to confirm it and decided to send the sum of N7,000 to  his account.

“I later got a call in my office that David dropped N7,000 for me with the desk writer and I asked what happened, he said David was seriously injured and that at that moment, David was at the clinic, receiving treatment.

“I learnt that David was beaten by some people who mistook him to be one of the hoodlums, who disrupted the birthday party. I visited him at the clinic on Monday and I saw bruises on his head. “

Also Mustapha told the coroner that he was aware there was a birthday at the bar, but he didn’t partake.

According to him, he heard of Fawale’s ordeal in the media.

He said: “I went with Ajanaku to the Riverside bar to have fun. On getting there, Ajanaku said he sighted David and that we should go and meet David upstairs. But we later left him there because I was supposed to be on duty that night.

“I was aware that some people were celebrating birthdays inside the VIP lounge. I returned to the office and between 12:00a.m. and  1:00am, a senior colleague phoned me that David needed my financial help. I sent N5,000 to David’s account after borrowing N3,000 from a friend. The desk writer later called me to inform me that David dropped N5,000 for me.

“I later heard that he (David) was alleged to have killed Mr. Rauf Fawale. I read it in a newspaper. I asked David about it four months ago. He told me that the police treated him like a hoodlum despite telling them that he was a DSS officer.  He said he was beaten, that the Police held him and some hoodlums before they went to the hospital.”

ALSO, a neurosurgeon at Esho Brian and Spine Centre, Ilesa Garage, Osogbo, Dr Taofeek Rabiu  gave testimony on how he carried out surgery on Fawale and removed a blood clot in his brain after he was attacked.

Rabiu said: “Fawale was brought to our centre by his relation on January 17, 2021. He was alleged to have been attacked by some hoodlums three days earlier. I was told that he was initially taken to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital and on the following day, discharged himself against medical advice.”

“ He went back to the same hospital on January 16, 2021. Following a brain scan that he did, his relation brought him to our centre for nonsurgical therapy. We had evidence of severe injury and the CTC scan that he did before coming to us, showed that he had multiple injuries on both sides.

“So, we had a brain surgery to remove the blood clot. On the night of January 23, 2021, he died at about 10:00pm.”

Meanwhile, Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara, has ordered Mustapha and Ajanaku to make available their bank statements for the month of January 2021 and adjourned till Wednesday for continuation of hearing.

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