Kolade Johnson: Banky W, Waje, Falz react to killing of football fan

By
Wale Oloworekende
-
Banky W

Celebrities, Banky W, Waje and Falz have reacted to the killing of a football fan, Kolade Johnson, by policemen from the anti-cultism unit of the Lagos State Police Command.

Entertainer turned politician, Banky W, wrote a lengthy message via Instagram on Monday decrying the killing.

“This post is for our leaders: @muhammadubuhari @profosinbajo @akinwunmiambode, @jidesanwoolu, @aleeygiwa… Dear Sirs, Kolade Johnson, an innocent, young citizen of Nigeria is dead. He was the only son of a widow, a husband and father. His only crime was being in the right place at the wrong time… watching a football match when SARS operatives who allegedly came to arrest someone, started shooting sporadically. Kolade is not the first innocent victim of reckless behaviour by SARS operatives, and he will almost certainly not be the last. It is sickening, frustrating, and unfair.

“We are tired of hearing about victims of police brutality, but never hearing about the criminal, reckless police officers being brought to justice. We are tired of screaming and tweeting #ENDSARS while our innocent young people are being extorted, bullied, maimed and killed by the very same officers who are meant to protect them. And we are tired of our leaders remaining silent, incident after incident,” he wrote in parts.

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This post is for our leaders: @muhammadubuhari @profosinbajo @akinwunmiambode, @jidesanwoolu, @aleeygiwa… Dear Sirs, Kolade Johnson, an innocent, young citizen of Nigeria is dead. He was the only son of a widow, a husband and father. His only crime was being in the right place at the wrong time… watching a football match when SARS operatives who allegedly came to arrest someone, started shooting sporadically. Kolade is not the first innocent victim of reckless behaviour by SARS operatives, and he will almost certainly not be the last. It is sickening, frustrating, and unfair. We are tired of hearing about victims of police brutality, but never hearing about the criminal, reckless police officers being brought to justice. We are tired of screaming and tweeting #ENDSARS while our innocent young people are being extorted, bullied, maimed and killed by the very same officers who are meant to protect them. And we are tired of our leaders remaining silent, incident after incident. We're going to track down Kolade's family, pray with them and raise money to assist them through this terrible tragedy. We hope that our leaders will use this opportunity to ACTUALLY show that they care about our lives and wellbeing, by tracking down the reckless officers responsible for this murder and bringing them to justice for their vicious crime. We will not let this go. Kolade was innocent and did not deserve to die. Kolade could have been anyone of us. Please show us that you care about us. Please. #JusticeForKolade PS: Anyone who has the contact details Kolade's wife and/or Mom, please DM @theofficialeme_ and myself. We must take care of ourselves with or without our Government. PPS: please repost

A post shared by Banky W. (@bankywellington) on

Singer, Waje also wrote: “We now live in fear.”

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We now live in fear. Repost from @bankywellington – This post is for our leaders: @muhammadubuhari @profosinbajo @akinwunmiambode & @jidesanwoolu… Dear Sirs, Kolade Johnson, an innocent young citizen of Nigeria is dead. He was the only son of a widow, a husband and father. His only crime was being in the right place at the wrong time… watching a football match when SARS operatives who allegedly came to arrest someone, started shooting sporadically. Kolade is not the first innocent victim of reckless behaviour by SARS operatives, and he will almost certainly not be the last. It is sickening, frustrating, and unfair. We are tired of hearing about victims of police brutality, but never hearing about the criminal, reckless police officers being brought to justice. We are tired of screaming and tweeting #ENDSARS while our innocent young people are being extorted, bullied, maimed and killed by the very same officers who are meant to protect them. And we are tired of our leaders remaining silent, incident after incident. We're going to track down Kolade's family, pray with them and raise money to assist them through this terrible tragedy. We hope that our leaders will use this opportunity to ACTUALLY show that they care about our lives and wellbeing, by tracking down the reckless officers responsible for this murder and bringing them to justice for their vicious crime. We will not let this go. Kolade was innocent and did not deserve to die. Kolade could have been anyone of us. Please show us that you care about us. Please. #JusticeForKolade PS: Anyone who has the contact details Kolade's wife and/or Mom, please DM @theofficialeme_ and myself. We must take care of ourselves with or without our Government. PPS: please repost

A post shared by WAJE (@officialwaje) on

Rapper and social activist, Falz, also expressed his frustration via a series of tweets.

“So called police killing young people, abruptly ending our dreams and ambitions. How many more lives are we going to lose?”

He further wrote, “What’s the difference between these SARS guys and armed robbers / assasins ?”

Finishing, he added, “This administration is the most insensitive ever in our history. So we voted another 4 years of this BULLSHIT?”

Kolade Johnson was killed in the Olu Aboderin Street, Onipetesi area of Lagos after policemen came in search of youths dressed wildly and wearing dreadlocks.

Eyewitnesses say the police officers then stormed an eatery in the area where football fans had just finished watching a live English Premiership League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

A source said that Mr Johnson, who was a friend to a man arrested by the police, challenged the operatives on why they would take away his friend.

In the process, Johnson was shot by one of the policemen. The victim was taken to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, but was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors.

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