Posted by By Kazeem Ugbodaga on
Children of the woman branded by police as leader of a robbery gang, and shot dead in Shagamu, Ogun state, have cried out over the murder, saying their mother was not a thief.
Children of the woman branded by police as leader of a robbery gang, and shot dead in Shagamu, Ogun state, have cried out over the murder, saying their mother was not a thief.
Mrs. Funmilayo Abudu, a mother of four, was killed by the police in controversial circumstances, in Shagamu, Ogun state, last Friday and was branded a robber. One of the woman's children, Tosin Abudu, lamented that her mother was innocent, saying that she was never a robber.
'My mother was not a thief. She did not steal. Since I was born, I have never seen her steal anything,' said Tosin, who is 18 years old.
'I love my mother, she was a good woman. She always cared for us. She did not steal; government should release our mother's body for burial,' she told P.M.News, after a joint news conference by Real Woman Foundation and Women Arise.
Another child of the woman, Shalewa, supported her sister's story. She said, 'my mummy was not a thief. Government should release her body to us for burial.'
According to Mrs. Christiana Fatai, a relation of the slain woman, 'my sister did not steal. Government should remove the robbery tag they placed on her.'
The Managing Director of Demirs Farm, where the late Mrs. Abudu worked, Mr. Rasak Asiwaju, said the woman had been working with him for the past two years. He said she had never stolen an egg. Her honesty led to her promotion as a supervisor until she met her untimely death.
Husband of the woman, Waniyu Abudu, in tears, said his wife was innocent and was never a thief. He also called for the release of her body for burial. Meanwhile, women, under the aegis of Real Woman Foundation (RWF) and Women Arise, have protested the killing of Mrs. Abudu.
They carried placards, some of which read: 'Framing an innocent woman is ungodly; Ogun Police, Tell The Truth.'
President of RWF, Mrs. Nike Adeyemi, at a news conference, called for an autopsy to be carried out on her to determine how the shot on her side got there after her death.
'We demand for a high powered probe to fish out the police officers who allegedly laced her with charms and amulets as well as the ones who pushed out her employer who had attempted to identify Funmilayo and plead her innocence.
'We have the promise of the Inspector-General of Police to investigate this matter, but we ask that the probe should consist of people from the civil society and not the police alone,' Adeyemi stated.
Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, president, Women Arise, demanded the probe of all culprits in this saga and that those found culpable should be brought to justice and face the full wrath of the law.
'We demand for adequate compensation for the Abudu family after punishing the culprits, to take care of the young children Funmilayo has left behind,' she stated.