May 3, 2010
The Democratic Peoples' Alliance (DPA) has asked the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, to immediately order investigations surrounding the death of a Lagos-based musician and a Journalist who recently died in two separate incidents.
The party said the shooting of The Nation's journalist, Mr. Edo Ugboagwu, and the car crash that resulted in the death of the rap artiste Da Grin were particularly painful because they could have been avoided in a more proactive security environment.
According to DPA's statement by its Director of Publicity, Felix Oboagwina, the police must provide credible answers to the questions raised by the two incidents.
Da Grin, Olayitan Olanipekun Oladapo, 23, died on Saturday April 22, three days after his car collided at 2am with a stationary lorry parked in front of the Alakara Police State along Agege Motor Road in Mushin Lagos.
Quoting reports that police detained the vehicle pending when the driver would come up with a N12,000 bribe, DPA said: "It denotes the culture of impunity with which police brazenly perpetrate illegalities. Da Grin's was a completely avoidable death and someone has got to pay."
Condoling with The Nation and the two bereaved families, DPA prayed that God would give them the strength to bear the losses.
DPA described Ugbagwu's shooting as one journalist's death too many.
The party said Ugbagwu's shooting in his home earmarked an uncomfortable pattern of attacks on defenceless media men. It gave a roll-call of media men who had fallen in a similar manner to include member of the Editorial Board of This Day Newspaper, Abayomi Ogundeji, Bayo Ohu of The Guardian, Godwin Agbroko of This Day,
"This pattern of violence against journalists calls for police to be proactive. We have not said police must be superheroes or be omniscient, but they will only discourage criminals and boost their fast-depleting stock of public confidence only and only by conclusively resolving these wanton killings and bringing real perpetrators to book."
DPA noted that Edo Ugbagwu was killed in the same Alimosho neighbourhood where gunmen shot dead Bayo Ohu at home seven months earlier, and it was not far from where Abayomi Ogundeji was shot dead in his car August 2008.
"It is an unnerving conicidence and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the DPOs in that area ought to be put on the spot," the statement said.
DPA decried the spate of recent killings and Da Grin's death, warning the police against filing them away as cases of misadventure.
FELIX OBOAGWINA
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY, LAGOS DPA
08033327355
The party said the shooting of The Nation's journalist, Mr. Edo Ugboagwu, and the car crash that resulted in the death of the rap artiste Da Grin were particularly painful because they could have been avoided in a more proactive security environment.
According to DPA's statement by its Director of Publicity, Felix Oboagwina, the police must provide credible answers to the questions raised by the two incidents.
Da Grin, Olayitan Olanipekun Oladapo, 23, died on Saturday April 22, three days after his car collided at 2am with a stationary lorry parked in front of the Alakara Police State along Agege Motor Road in Mushin Lagos.
Quoting reports that police detained the vehicle pending when the driver would come up with a N12,000 bribe, DPA said: "It denotes the culture of impunity with which police brazenly perpetrate illegalities. Da Grin's was a completely avoidable death and someone has got to pay."
Condoling with The Nation and the two bereaved families, DPA prayed that God would give them the strength to bear the losses.
DPA described Ugbagwu's shooting as one journalist's death too many.
The party said Ugbagwu's shooting in his home earmarked an uncomfortable pattern of attacks on defenceless media men. It gave a roll-call of media men who had fallen in a similar manner to include member of the Editorial Board of This Day Newspaper, Abayomi Ogundeji, Bayo Ohu of The Guardian, Godwin Agbroko of This Day,
"This pattern of violence against journalists calls for police to be proactive. We have not said police must be superheroes or be omniscient, but they will only discourage criminals and boost their fast-depleting stock of public confidence only and only by conclusively resolving these wanton killings and bringing real perpetrators to book."
DPA noted that Edo Ugbagwu was killed in the same Alimosho neighbourhood where gunmen shot dead Bayo Ohu at home seven months earlier, and it was not far from where Abayomi Ogundeji was shot dead in his car August 2008.
"It is an unnerving conicidence and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the DPOs in that area ought to be put on the spot," the statement said.
DPA decried the spate of recent killings and Da Grin's death, warning the police against filing them away as cases of misadventure.
FELIX OBOAGWINA
DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY, LAGOS DPA
08033327355
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