“How soldiers shot my twin to death” – Brother of victim of indiscriminate killing in Oyo
Note: We earlier reported that it was a policeman that fired the shot that killed Kehinde Adeleke. The deceased’s twin, Taiye Adeleke, who was with him at the time of the incident, has confirmed it was a soldier.
Taiye Adeleke, the twin brother of a 30-year-old man, Kehinde, who was allegedly shot dead by soldiers of an Operation Burst unit in Ibadan, has narrated how the incident happened.
A viral video had shown Taiye, with a bloodstained shirt, pleading with the staff of University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, to attend to his dying brother.
Taiye alleged that the hospital staff refused to admit Kehinde before he gave up the ghost.
The grieving twin has narrated their ordeal at the hands of the soldiers at Pete’s Bar and Lounge, located on the premises of Trans Amusement Park in Agbowo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
He wrote on his Facebook:
“On Monday, February 26, at exactly 6.45pm, Kehinde, some of our friends and me got to Trans to chill after the day’s work. That is how we have been going there since 2016 without causing any trouble in the vicinity. Before now, we have always been seeing men of the Operation Burst with Seyi (Shadaluski) the owner of the bar. They drink, chat and smoke together on a daily basis.
“He always uses them as a tool of oppression over anyone who questions him. At exactly 7.20pm, Kehinde Adeleke, a young, intelligent and friendly young man who just clocked 30 years last month, was shot with the gun of one of the men of the Operation Burst constituted by the Abiola Ajimobi-led government in Oyo State at the Trans Amusement Park around Agbowo.
“Kehinde, who was killed by Shadaluski and men of the Operation Burst, sent his immediate younger brother, Damola, on an errand to get him food. On Damola’s return, some guys were arguing with him (Damola) over a parking space and all of a sudden, the guy slapped Damola. Someone went to call Kehinde that Damola was being beaten up by some guys. On getting there, Kehinde was trying to inquire what transpired between the duo.
“However, during the conversation, Seyi (Shadaluski) appeared with some men of the Operation Burst, who even without any question from those involved in the argument, asked Shadaluski what was wrong. Shadaluski pointed to Damola Adeleke as the troublemaker. Immediately he said that, one of the men of the Operation Burst smashed a big stick on Damola’s head and he fainted immediately.
“The argument went on for almost five minutes before Shadaluski became angry and collected a rifle hanged on the shoulder of (one of) his friends, then shot Kehinde in the neck. I held and dragged Seyi into my car that he had killed my immediate twin brother and that he would not escape….”
Taiye, in his statement, also accused operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) of contributing to the chaos that ensued at the bar after the shooting.
“The NSCDC men locked the gate and for 30 minutes, we could not go out. There was gridlock in the evening inside the venue as people wanted to leave quickly. Three of them later came with guns to us and took the bar owner from us,” he said.
Interestingly, since the incident occurred earlier in the week, the soldiers allegedly culpable of the indiscriminate killing, have not been identified.
Taiye said in the viral video that he could identify the trigger-happy soldier.
Police say they have only arrested the owner of the bar and investigation into the incident was ongoing.
