Police to prosecute dead killer-cop

LAGOS State Police Command yesterday said it had concluded plan to prosecute the killer-Mobile policeman, Stephen James, attached to MOPOL 22, Oduduwa, GRA, Ikeja.

The state police boss, Fatai Owoseni, who spoke with The Guardian on telephone, said that the killer-cop ceased to be a member of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) by his callous action, which led to the death of three persons.
According to Owoseni: “We would try him even in death and dismiss him for his actions. We want to use this medium to sympathise with the family of the deceased and we apologise for the irrational actions of the policeman who also took his life.”

A drunken policeman, Stephen James, on Saturday shot dead three male customers at a hotel in Ketu area of Lagos State.
The Guardian learnt that among the deceased were twin-brothers identified as Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle and their friend known simply as Jeje. The twins were said to be the only children of their mother.

The tragic incident, which took place outside the premises of Paulson Hotel on Anibaba Street at about 4:20 p.m., threw the entire neighbourhood and its environs into confusion with passers-by and residents running for safety.

According to eyewitnesses, trouble started when the police Sergeant with Force number 217884 threatened to shoot customers if they fail to buy him an alcoholic drink.

The policeman, who was alleged to be a chronic smoker of marijuana, however, felt offended after the victims, Taiwo, Kehinde and Jeje cautioned him.

The eyewitnesses said the policeman later ambushed and killed the three young men, who were in their early 30s, as they stepped outside the hotel premises where they had gone to celebrate Jeje’s birthday.

It was also gathered that when he (the cop) realised how grave his act was, he allegedly shot himself in the chest.
Angry youths, who later gathered at the scene of the tragedy, attempted to burn down the hotel and destroy property within its premises.

They also wanted to burn the body of the policeman, but policemen, who later got to the scene, calmed them down.
Policemen, led by the Divisional Police Officer of the Ketu Police Station arrived at the scene at about 5.30 p.m. to carry the body away.

Lagos State police spokesman, Mr. Joe Offor, told The Guardian that the killer-policeman’s Berret, Shoes and others would be tried in a police orderly room arrangement where sentence would be passed.