Sad: 24-yr-old killed with ‘charm’ by young ‘beggar’ •Family cries for justice

Olamide Oyedele, 24, was full of life until Sunday, February 24, when he left home around 9:30pm for a nearby tea cafe for a drink with the hope of returning home later to sleep. But ironically, he neither got to the tea seller let alone drink the tea nor did he return home alive from the about 100 metres trip.

He was reportedly killed midway in a strange circumstance by a boy who happened to be much younger than him.

His guardian, with whom he lived for almost six years till his death, Mrs Adejoke Akinyode, told Saturday Tribune that it was Olamide’s cousin, who is her son and who was with him at the time, that brought the news home.

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Thronged by sympathisers, among whom co-residents, Mrs. Akinyode asked her 13- year-old primary six son, Opeyemi Akinyode, to narrate the story in full to our correspondent, who visited the family at their residence, No 1A, Itogbe Street, Tabontabon in Agege area of Lagos.

The eyewitness, who displayed intelligence and sharpness, said they were on their way to “mai tea” (The name for Hausa man who sells hot tea on the streets of Lagos) when they ran into two young boys and one female on the road.

“One of them, who knew my ‘brother’ (brother is commonly used for male relatives in Nigeria), begged him for money and he gave him N50.  Just as he did that, the other male among them, who later killed my brother, also asked him to give him his own and my brother told him he didn’t have any money to give out. He told the second beggar that the remaining money with him wasn’t his own. And as we were about leaving the spot, he (the boy) snatched the whole money from my brother’s hand and this infuriated my brother and before long, the two of them started fighting,” Opeyemi narrated in Yoruba language.

Sadly, nothing at that moment warned Olamide that he would not live to tell the story of the fight. Perhaps, he would have let go even all the money rather than engaging in a brawl. For he died in the process.

How come?  The young witness, Opeyemi, said: “My brother’s attacker brought out a charmed ring from his pocket, put it in one of his fingers and used it to beat him. That was how my brother slumped and couldn’t move his body nor utter any word again. I then ran back home to inform my mother of the incident.”

At this point, Opeyemi’s mother, Madam Adejoke, a petty trader, took over the conversation with our correspondent.

In an emotion-laden voice and speaking also in Yoruba Language, she said, “we all rushed to the scene and found him on the ground with his mouth foaming. I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing Olamide who left home strong and full of life in less than 20 minutes earlier, in that state.

“I couldn’t imagine that he had died either. Many people had gathered at the scene. They asked me to urinate to give to him which I did. They said that the urine would neutralise the potency of the perceived charm. Some also brought palm oil to administer on him but also to no avail. I then begged them to join me in carrying him to a traditional healing home nearby as some people suggested among the crowd. We thought maybe, he could still be revived.

“Some even said the boy who beat him would know how to neutralise the charm but he had fled the scene apparently to escape mob action, but the lady with him was apprehended by the people. And she claimed she warned him (the attacker) not to beat Olamide with the ring.”

Unfortunately, the effort at the traditional healing home didn’t yield result. They then carried Olamide to Madam Fatimat Olatoyinbo, popularly known as Iya Oodua, whose residence is about one and half kilometres away.

“It should be some minutes to midnight when we got to Iya Oodua,” she stated. “And the woman was already in bed. But for the distress call, she opened her door and attended to us. No remedy still.”

She said she observed that as Iya Oodua was pouring what she had as medication into the boy’s mouth, it gushed out on it own accord.

“The woman then told us that the boy had long gone and advised we should report the matter at the police station. We got to Elere Police Divisional headquarters where we reported the matter with Olamide’s body around 12 midnight. But the police told us that they did not believe that the boy had died they advised that we should carry him to the general hospital for medical attention.

“That was how we headed again to the Lagos General Hospital, Ile-Epo, which is about four kilometres away. There, he was confirmed dead and we brought his body back to the police station,” Madam Ajoke said: “And the police then asked us to go and deposit his body in a mortuary in Yaba.”

Saturday Tribune visited Iya Oodua at home and the woman confirmed that Olamide was brought to her, dead. And that if not for that, God could have used her to revive him as she had done in similar circumstance in the past.

The sexagenarian, who decried activities of gangsters in Agege community, identified some spots in the area where the gangsters, who are mostly youths, have their field , especially on weekends, with the police in the jurisdiction seemingly helpless. She named Isale Oja, Olaorokun, Orile-Agege, Ile Pako, Balogun Street, Atobaje as some of these spots. She urged the police to restrategise to curb the menace so that law abiding residents would walk freely in the neighbourhood.

The Public Relations Officer of the General Hospital at Ile-Epo, Mrs Adeyemo, also confirmed that Olamide was actually brought to the hospital at the said hours but as a dead person.

“So, after he was confirmed dead, the family went with his body,” the hospital spokesperson said. “I believe they needed the medical report to give to the police.”

On the run-away suspect, Saturday Tribune gathered that it was a group of young boys from the neighbourhood that smoked him out from his hideout the next day and handed him over to the police, where the matter had already been reported.

One of the youths, who didn’t want his name in print, described Olamide as “a gentle and easy-going person.” He told our correspondent that the suspect, who was identified simply as Waliu, was apprehended at Ile Pako, one of the black spots earlier named by Iya Oodua.

“We found two rings and substance suspected to be marijuana in his pocket and these are with the police also,” the anonymous youth added.

A top police officer at Elere Police Station, who also spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authoirised to speak to newsmen, confirmed the incident. He explained that the case had been transferred to the homicide unit of the command at Panti in Yaba for further investigations.

The police source said it was a case of murder (as law does not recongise charm) and that autopsy would be conducted. He added that was why it was transferred to Panti, where he said the suspect is also being detained.

Saturday Tribune contacted the spokesman of the Lagos Police command, Mr Ejike Oti, a Superintendent of Police, who said he had not received the details from the division involved.

However, Olamide’s family is now crying for justice through the police, saying even though nothing could bring the young man back to life, justice must prevail.

Distraught Madam Oyedele said “I want the police not to sweep the matter under the carpet. They must not let the suspect off the hook. There must be justice. The whole world must also know the reason the boy killed my ‘son.’ The police must ask him about who did the charm for him and for what purpose. So, there must be a definite conclusion on the matter so as to forestall similar occurrence.”

Olamide’s body, it was gathered, was still in mortuary as of Thursday with embalment bill increasing by the day.v

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