A POLICE corporal attached to the Ogun State Command, Mr. Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, Thursday ran amok and killed seven persons, including his wife, also a police corporal, after which he shot himself dead.
Before killing himself, Ogunbiyi kissed his two children, bade them goodbye and handed them over to a commercial motorcyclist to take care of them.
Three persons who received gunshot wounds during the incident were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta where they were admitted for treatment.
Those he killed, apart from his wife, Oluwatosin Ogunbiyi, included a landlady who is simply referred to as Iya Basira, a two-year baby girl, three males and another female. The scene of the crime was Akinbola Ifelodun Estate, Eleweran in Abeokuta.
The scene attracted hundreds of sympathisers even as a detachment of policemen was deployed to guard the scene. The incident, according to an eyewitness, Mr. Tunde Akinbade, who lives nearby, occurred at 5.30 a.m.
He told The Guardian that the corporal’s action was a bottled up anger which “over-burst” yesterday.
He explained: “Ogunbiyi (killer cop) used to live in one of the houses near this place (scene of crime) and he and his wife were very close family friends of Iya Basira (deceased landlady).
“While they were living here, anytime he (Ogunbiyi) quarreled with his wife, the wife would leave her matrimonial home with their two children to live with Iya Basira in her house.”
He said Ogunbiyi had on several occasions warned Iya Basira not to harbour his family anymore, a warning Iya Basira failed to heed.
“About two weeks ago, the deceased couple again quarreled and the wife packed to Iya Basira’s house. Ogunbiyi came and hid in a bush near Iya Basira’s house and surveyed
the area, and having satisfied himself that a soldier who lives in the area was not around, he rushed to Iya Basira’s bedroom, shot her and her two-year old grandchild who were sleeping.”
He also gunned down other tenants in the house who heard the gun shots and rushed out from their rooms to find out what was happening. “After that”, Akinbade said, “the killer cop went to a nearby house and gunned down a commercial motorcyclist who is said to be close to his wife. Thereafter, he kissed his two children, bade goodbye and handed them over to the commercial motorcyclist who took him to the scene and asked him to take care of them after which he shot himself dead”.
There were blood stains and bullet shells at different places within the uncompleted six-bedroom bungalow. About 12 policemen are now guarding the area.
The Ogun State Police Command’s Spokesman, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, described the incident as unfortunate and confirmed that the dead policeman carried out the dastardly act with his official riffle.
Adejobi said: “He (Ogunbiyi) was on night duty and as soon as he closed, he rushed to carry out the shameful act”.
Answering a reporter’s question, Adejobi stressed that Ogunbiyi did not exhibit any trait of insanity. “I even saw him yesterday (Wednesday) and he was looking too quiet. When I asked him why, he did not answer.”
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