Gbenga Raheem, husband of the lawyer fatally shot by one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Drambi Vandi in the Ajah area on Lagos State on Christmas Day has narrated how the tragedy happened.
Bolanle Raheem was 41 years old and seven-month pregnant when she was killed by the policeman.
ASP Vandi, who was attached to the Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah, Lagos State, was said to have spent 33 years in the police force.
Mr Raheem spoke when sympathisers visited the family in the Ajah area of Lagos State on Boxing Day.
According to him, “On December 25, my wife, nieces, nephews, and cousins, who had come for the holiday, all went to church. On our way back, my wife said since it was Christmas Day, we should take everyone out, so, we went to a supermarket at Abraham Adesanya, then to Domino’s Pizza.
“After that, we headed towards Ajah to do a U-turn to come back to Abraham Adesanya. When we took the U-turn, we saw policemen stopping some vehicles. As we approached them, they said we should stop, and in the process, we heard a loud sound on my wife’s side window. All of a sudden, I saw blood gushing out of her chest.
“I immediately ran out; my sister-in-law, who was also with us, ran out and held the policeman; he cocked his gun at her too. Talking to him was pointless, so I went to see if anything could be done; I saw my wife gasping for breath, and by that time, my sister-in-law had brought the policeman into the car and pushed him into the front seat.
“We drove to a hospital but they said they couldn’t handle it; we eventually took her to Grandville Hospital, where she was confirmed dead. The policemen took her body and put it in the truck; they wanted me to follow them but I said I needed to go and settle my children.”
A graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Bolanle Raheem was the chief executive officer of Croston Homes at the time of her death.
She was a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Olive Tree Parish, Banana Island, Ikoyi, where she served as a Sunday school teacher.