Idris was murdered by an officer attached to the Alausa Police Division at Olayiwola Close, Oregun, Ikeja area of Lagos.
When The Guardian visited the area on May 29, 2023, one of the friends of the deceased, who was among residents mourning the young man, said they were billed to go to Fela Shrine before the incident.
He said the inspector parked at the other side of the road and sighting him, residents took to their heels because of his appearance, but the officer went back to his car to park at the Divine Health Centre, Lawal Street and pointed his gun at Idris and shot him dead.
In retaliation, some youths attacked Oregun Police station, chased out officers and injured one.
Before his dismissal, the deceased’s family had alleged that the police were trying to sweep the matter under the carpet.
The brother of the deceased also alleged that the police officer that shot Idris was not on duty at the time, noting that the cop always comes around to harass and torment people in the area.
“The Inspector was at a bus stop pursuing people. When he got to some steps to enter his house, he heard another gunshot again. The second shot was a straight one.
“Idris never knew that the bullet had touched him. On getting to the front of the house, he fell down. When he stood up, he discovered that something was gushing out of his body, which was his own blood.
“He later discovered it was a bullet wound; we rushed him to a nearby clinic for first aid but the policeman came and threatened every one of us with a gun while he took Idris in his bus and went away.
“We went to the Police Station looking for our brother but Idris was not there. When the station Divisional Police Officer (DPO) called him, he said he took Idris to one faraway emergency centre where Idris died.
“The DPO questioned him to know what he was doing at the scene since he was not on duty that night.
“The officer is worse than the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The police have refused to release the body of our brother to us. According to them, they want to carry out some tests on him including an autopsy.
“They are already prolonging the matter; we want to know what they want to do with our brother’s body because we don’t want a situation where he would be tagged as a cultist, which will deny us from getting justice,” he added.
Commenting on the development, spokesperson for Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin said: “The recommendation for dismissal of Inspector Kabiru Odeyemi was approved yesterday.
“The dismissal paves the way for his arraignment, which will take place on Friday, July 7, 2023.
“The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, assured Lagosians of his unwavering determination to police the state within the dictates of the rule of law, civility and respect for human life.”
