Policeman who allegedly killed 18-year-old admission seeker Monsurat Ojuade dismissed

A policeman, Sgt. Samuel Phillips, who was alleged to have been responsible for the killing an 18-year-old female admission seeker in the Ijeshatedo area of Surulere, Lagos State, has been dismissed and would be arraigned, the spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, has said.

He stated this in a statement on Friday titled, ‘Ijeshatedo Shooting Incident: Sgt Samuel Philipps Dismissed From Service, To Be Arraigned In Court’.

“This is to inform the general public that Sgt Samuel Philipps who was tried for the shooting incident of 11th September, 2021 that led to the death of Monsurat Ojuade has been dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force. He was dismissed after conclusion of his orderly room trial. The suspect will be charged to court today for murder.

“Recall that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, had promised that the matter would be properly investigated and that justice would be served. This action is, therefore, done in fulfilment of that promise.

“The Commissioner of Police further sympathises with the bereaved family, and reiterates his earlier promise that justice would be done in this case,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, counsel for the Ojuade Family, Israel Mbaebie, has said that the Command should make known its findings to the public. The lawyer also frowned at the supposed hasty arraignment of the suspect at Yaba Magistrates’ Court today.

Mbaebie in a statement titled, ‘Re: Update On The Gruesome Murder Of Monsurat Ojuade’ on Thursday, said, “We regret to note that while our clients’ demands have been totally ignored if not snubbed by the police, they have gone ahead to fix the arraignment of the alleged killer cop and only informing us just about 12 hours prior to the said arraignment.

“Our clients frown at this disrespectful and lackadaisical attitude of the police and also wonder how it has been easier for them to organise an orderly room trial of the so-called killer police without making public their finding till date and now, arraignment without making public the full identity of the culprit as earlier demanded by our clients.

“The gruesome and brutal murder of late Monsurat Ojuade can never be swept under the carpet. We must ensure that she and her family get the justice that they deserve and desire. Justice must be served and rightly so.”

It was reported earlier that the police sergeant attached to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, allegedly shot dead Monsurat Ojuade around 11.30pm on September 11, 2021 in the Surulere area of the state.

Monsurat was an admission seeker, who reportedly scored 236 in the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) and was awaiting admission, when she was killed.

It was gathered that Monsurat was the third of three female children and filled Mass Communication and Accounting as her first and second choices in her UTME form.

The victim was said to be in front of her parents’ house on Mogaji Street, Ijesha, Surulere, when some anti-robbery officers from the SCIID stormed the community.

A community leader, Onikeku Adedayo, had said that one of the cops approached him and demanded what was he doing outside by that time.

“I told him that I was in front of my house and I am a community leader. He said it was too late and I should go inside. I and a few others around me left. Not less than three minutes later, I heard a gunshot. I heard her sister scream that she had been shot. The policemen fled the scene immediately,” he had added.

Adedayo had also said the victim was hit by a bullet that penetrated her two thighs, adding that she was immediately drenched in blood.

He had explained that Monsura was rushed to a private hospital in the community, where she was rejected before she was later taken to the Randle General Hospital, where she was given first aid.

“By that time, she had collapsed and could not talk. The hospital placed her on oxygen and tried to stop the bleeding. They said they could not continue the treatment because her bones had been shattered by the bullet and she needed orthopaedic treatment.

“We were referred to either Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital or Gbagada General Hospital. When we got to Igbobi, she was almost gone and we decided to take her to a private hospital, where she was confirmed dead. Although she was confirmed dead around 1.30am on Saturday, I believe that she died within 30 minutes of the shooting,” Adedayo added.

Her remains were said to have been deposited in the Military Hospital morgue, Yaba.