Nigeria's Lower House Reacts To The Killing Of A Footballer By The Police!

Over the years, Nigerian citizens have been victims of obnoxious extra judicial killings by security personnel, chief of which is the Nigerian Police Force and Men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS). Innocent people have been sent to their early graves simply because they wanted to defend their rights after being wrongfully or maliciously accused of crimes, by trigger happy Police or SARS officers.

The latest being the recent killing of a defender with a local football club, Remo Stars, identified as Tiamiyu Kazeem. He was arrested alongside another team mate, after been labelled as fraudsters, despite identifying themselves as footballers, the officers proceeded to convey them to their office in neighboring Abeokuta. Tiamiyu's death resulted in protests by residents of the Sagamu community in Ogun state, south-west Nigeria.

The Police responded by attacking and killing some of the protesters. Situations as this have led to great mistrust against the security force, the main concern is that these actions are often carried out with impunity.

Hearing session between the House of Rep and Police Chiefs.

There are glamours for the ban of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) with harsh tags like: #endsars, and a check on all security forces, all to no noticeable effect.

It is to this respect that members of the Nigerian House of Representatives held a public hearing with senior members of the force, to express their displeasure over these incidents, and examine ways to restore public confidence and make the institution more deserving of the true faith and support of the people.

While addressing the lower chamber, the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, stated:

”In the last few days, we have all witnessed as the city of Sagamu in Ogun State has been unsettled by an orgy of violence resulting from the alleged extrajudicial killing of a young footballer by officers of the Nigerian police.”

”Citizens who gathered to protest this killing were soon themselves at the receiving end of police bullets & this is not an isolated incident”.

”We can no longer stand for this, and we will not, this House of Representatives has a responsibility to speak for our citizens and we will continue to do so even when it is inconvenient”

”The first responsibility of the state to its citizens is to protect life and property, when the agencies we rely on to serve this purpose become predatory, they lose the faith of the public and become incapable of delivering on this responsibility”

"We must fix the Nigeria Police, restore public confidence and make the institution once more deserving of the true faith and support of the Nigerian people.

”We will not achieve much if we shy away from confronting the failures of recruitment and training, remuneration and welfare, responsibility and accountability that have left us with a national police force that is too often unfit for the purpose”. he stated.

According to reports, Tiamiyu Kazeem, popularly known as Kaka, was killed by a hit and run driver on Saturday, February 22nd, along the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway, after he was arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and was in the process of being taken to their office in neighboring Abeokuta.

The deceased: Late Tiamiyu Kazeem

Although the Police denied responsibility for Tiamiyu's death, saying the deceased jumped off the vehicle while being driven to Abeokuta with other people who were arrested, he was as a result, knocked down by an oncoming vehicle. The deceased friend and teammate, identified as Sanni Abubakar, who was arrested with him, said Tiamiyu was pushed out of the Toyota Sienna by an officer, before he was killed by an oncoming car.