Since July 24, 2024, life has taken a devastating turn for Irewoletomiwa Oni, a single mother from Ogun State.
The caterer, who once worked tirelessly to provide for her child, now battles unimaginable physical and emotional pains.
A dispute over money turned into a nightmare as bullets fired by a policeman did more than inflict excruciating pain—it robbed her of the ability to bear another child, leaving her womb destroyed and her life forever altered.
Despite promises and assurances from the former state commissioner that her medical expenses would be covered, her family claims that not a single kobo has been received.
Desperate and abandoned, they have reached out to higher authorities, only to be met with deafening silence.
On that fateful evening, Irewoletomiwa was returning from an event and travelling along the Obasanjo-Itele-Ota Road towards Lafenwa in Abeokuta, the state capital, when the car she was in was stopped by policemen who demanded money.
The former Lagos State Polytechnic student, short on cash, asked if she could make a mobile bank transfer, but the officers sneered at the suggestion.
“One of the officers standing there said, ‘Let them go jare since they don’t have money.’ The next thing I heard was gunshots. When I heard the gunshots, I passed out immediately.
“According to what they told me, I think I woke up five or six days later because I went into a coma straight away. I underwent surgery, and after the procedure, I was told some of my intestines had been cut off, and my digestive system had been altered. I was also told that my womb was affected,” Irewoletomiwa told Saturday PUNCH, as she broke down in tears.
‘My life feels like a dead zone’
With her womb damaged by bullets fired at her by the officer, medical professionals advised her to seek further treatment abroad. However, since then, Irewoletomiwa’s life has been drastically altered by the incident.
Lacking access to the necessary medical care, she lives each day under a heavy cloud of despair, unable to walk or eat freely.
“I could not even go back to my work,” she told Saturday PUNCH. “I can’t take care of my child anymore. My entire life feels like a dead zone. I can’t do the things I’m supposed to do.
“I can’t even walk freely. I have limits on what I can eat. A lot is going on in my head and my health. There are times when my stomach feels like it’s going to explode. I feel like I’m going to die the next day.”
Fighting back tears, she added, “I feel like I’m just tired of the world because I can’t even get the proper treatment I need, and I just want my life back. Justice should be served, and I should receive the right treatment because I can’t even feed myself.
“I can’t afford my medications properly. I have to skip doses again and again. I need justice.”
A father’s struggle
Narrating the tragic events of the night his daughter was shot by the police officer at Itele, Segun Oni shared the moment he received the devastating phone call. At around 10 pm, a friend of his son informed him of the incident.
“I had to rush to the hospital in Ota that night,” Mr. Segun told Saturday PUNCH. “When I arrived, I found her in a pool of blood. I didn’t know what to do. The first doctor on duty was only able to provide basic first aid because it was already late.”
“Early the next morning, I asked the driver who had been with my daughter to go to the police station in Itele and inquire about a man named Animashaun, the Divisional Crime Officer. While they were speaking, the driver spotted one of the policemen who had been on duty the night of the shooting. He pointed him out, saying, ‘This is the officer who was shouting, ‘Everybody, come down, everybody, come down, yesterday.’’
“As soon as the officer saw them, he began to move away. The DCO was informed that he was the one who shot her. The DCO told everyone to calm down, but the boy managed to take a photo of the officer and send it to me.”
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the DCO reportedly went to the hospital, where he personally transported Irewoletomiwa and her father to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.
Upon arrival, she was reportedly assigned a police medical spot and immediately taken to the surgery department.
Mr Segun then called the former state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, to update him on the situation and mention the officers he suspected were involved in the crime.
Although the grieving father was reassured by the former CP, he still decided to consult with his lawyer, who advised him to personally visit Alamutu at the Eleweran Police Headquarters in Abeokuta.
“When we arrived, we met CP Alamutu, who directly told us that the police officers I had accused had confessed to the crime. He said they were the ones involved in the operation that night.”
“The DPO and six officers connected to the case were immediately arraigned before the CP while I was present. The DPO claimed that these officers were conducting illegal work and used their own bus for the operation. She also stated that she wasn’t even aware they had gone on this operation.”
“The DPO at the time, CSP Juliana Sodiq, was removed from the station by the CP, who stated that she was not performing her duties properly, given the gravity of this case. The CP then told me that he appreciated my efforts to save my daughter’s life, and assured me that any expenses I incurred would be reimbursed.”
‘Our letters were ignored’
Narrating the events that followed his meeting with the CP, Mr Segun recalled that on August 9, the CP personally visited Irewoletomiwa at LASUTH.
“He was deeply upset when he saw my daughter. He saw her mother crying that day, and he asked me for my account number,” Mr Segun explained. “I initially refused, but my lawyer advised me to provide it.”
“That same day, he transferred one million naira to me. He said, as a father, he just wanted to contribute. But he added that this wasn’t even part of the money for the treatment,” the father stated.
Explaining further, Mr Segun said that on his first visit to the CP’s office with his lawyer, he had brought all the receipts for the medical expenses incurred for his daughter’s treatment from July 23 to August 7, which amounted to N4.8 million. He presented these receipts to the CP.
“The CP assured me, saying, ‘No problem. Every kobo you spend will be refunded to you.’ So, we continued spending and spending, but by September 3, I realised I couldn’t continue anymore.”
“I called the CP and said, ‘Sir, I’m tired and fed up, so I have to discharge her and take her to another hospital for further treatment.’ After that, I began going to Eleweran with my lawyer to see the CP for financial assistance to cover the money I had already spent and to continue my daughter’s treatment.”
“Each time we went there, he would tell me to come back next week. I think I visited him more than six times. Eventually, my lawyer began writing formal letters, and I have the acknowledgment papers to prove it.”
Mr Segun explained that over six or seven letters were sent to the CP, but they were met with delays.
“By December 9, when the CP was retired, we had not received any significant help,” Segun said.
Not willing to give up on his quest for justice for his daughter, Mr Segun told Saturday PUNCH that he sent three letters to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, but received no response.
“We then decided to write to the state governor. He’s a father, and we hoped he might be able to help. We wrote more than three letters to the governor, but there was still no response,” he added.
We won’t abandon her, says police
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Odutola, confirmed that the Police Command is fully aware of the incident that occurred in July of the previous year.
“It’s truly sad, and Tomiwa was not abandoned. The former CP Alamutu showed genuine concern and rushed to the scene. Financial assistance was provided to the father for medical treatment when the incident occurred.”
“We have seen the previous video publication by PUNCH Digital, but since the former CP retired, the father has not reached out to the new CP. However, Ogun Command will not abandon her. A delegation of senior officers will visit her soon to assess her current health status,” she stated.
As of the time of filing this report, the Force PPRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, had yet to respond to a text message seeking his comment.
