HomeFeaturedSPECIAL REPORT: How Police killed 29-year-old fashion designer, threatened victim's relatives in...

SPECIAL REPORT: How Police killed 29-year-old fashion designer, threatened victim’s relatives in Osun

Though a 28-year-old fashion designer, Quadri Nurudeen was fast becoming the breadwinner of his family. His father died a few years after he was born in Popo area of Osogbo, capital of Osun State. 

Since the demise of Nurudeen’s father, the care of the family fell on the shoulders of his mother, Taibat Quadri, a laborer. 

Due to lack of financial resources to continue his education, Nurudeen enrolled as an apprentice with a fashion designer in the same town after completing his secondary school education.  

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He started a petty sewing business afterwards to raise money for his graduation. He got a shop in Abere area of Osogbo, with the hope to feed his family members.  

His life was, however, cut short on Wednesday, Jan. 25 when officers attached to the State’s Police anti-cultism squad attacked him at his residence. 

How it happened 

Sources living in his house at Jaleyemi street told Battabox that the police broke into Nurudeen’s room around 2:00 a.m. in the presence of his wife and a six-month-old baby.

The officers, in mofty with face masks, were trying to force entry into every room in the 16-room building when the Landlady, Rasheedat Ajibola, opened her door to confront them. 

“I was scared when they were hitting my door, I started urinating on my body. The police said they were looking for Alowonle and I told them no one is bearing the name but later said Nurudeen and I pointed to his room. They came with someone with handcuffs. 

“When they opened his door and saw him, his wife and daughter, I heard “fire fire”. They tried to hit me with the butt of a gun while shouting at them not to  kill him. Upon seeing them, Nurudeen jumped off from the window to the neighboring building when they shot him.”.

He was shot in the chest and died immediately. Minutes later, the police who had earlier left returned to take Nurudeen’s lifeless body to the mortuary. 

Devastated relatives 

Crying profusely, his wife said her late husband had a phobia for the police due to various cases of harassment in the past. 

“After shooting him dead, took his phone alongside mine. It was when the day broke that we started visiting different hospitals and later discovered his remains at Uniosun Teaching Hospital, Osogbo mortuary where the police dumped him.”

When the relatives visited the police unit at ring road area of Osogbo, they were threatened by the police officers who confirmed that they carried out the deadly operation in the wee hours. 

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“The police threatened to shoot us, pointing guns at protesting members of the family. They even said they would jail us,” said Islamiyat Abubakar, the victim’s niece. 

As Taibat Quadri  tried to speak on the death of her son, she was choked with tears. She explained how sadness travels through every cell of her body when she remembers Nurudeen. 

“I saw him two days ago and we discussed his business.  I gave birth to two kids and now they’ve taken one away from me. He was a good boy to every member of the family. He never had an issue with anyone.” 

When asked further questions about the step the family members plan to take, she was bleeding the ocean through her eyes.

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Irresponsive police

Efforts to reach the Police Spokesperson in Osun State, Yemisi Opalola proved abortive as she failed to answer several calls and text  messages sent to her phone. 

understands that Nigeria police officers have for long been violators of human rights despite warnings from the IGP and presidency. 

They disrespect rule of law, disregard for human rights of accused persons, carry out violent suppression of protest, infringement of fundamental rights, abuse of discretionary power, and corruption.

Festus Ogun, a lawyer said human life is too sacred to be extrajudicially taken away by those ordinarily meant to protect it.

“Some police officers are more of murderers than law enforcement agents; killing indiscriminately as though human lives means nothing.

“It is an aberration under the Nigerian constitutional jurisprudence. Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the right to life of every human and taking it away in such an agonizing manner is total abuse.”