A drunk policeman, Stephen James, on
Saturday shot dead three male customers
at a hotel in the Ketu area of Lagos State.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that among the
deceased were twin brothers identified as
Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle and their
friend known simply as Jeje. The twins
were the only children of their mother.
The tragic incident; which happened outside
the premises of Paulson Hotel on Anibaba
Street around 4:20pm, threw the entire
neighbourhood and its environs into chaos
with passers-by and residents scampering
in different directions.
According to eyewitnesses, trouble started
when the police sergeant with Force
number 217884, threatened to shoot
customers if they failed to buy him an
alcoholic drink. The policeman, who was
said to be a habitual smoker of marijuana,
however, felt offended after the victims –
Taiwo, Kehinde and Jeje – cautioned him to
comport himself as an adult and a
responsible policeman.
The eyewitnesses said the policeman
ambushed and killed the three young men,
who were in their early 30s, as they
stepped outside the hotel premises where
they had gone to celebrate Jeje’s birthday.
When the gravity of his act dawned on him,
the policeman reportedly shot himself in the
chest.
A guest at the hotel, who witnessed the
killings, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the
policeman had boasted about wanting to
kill people hours before the incident
happened.
The customer, who identified himself only
as Femi, said all efforts to pacify the
policeman proved abortive as he kept
fomenting trouble and harassing visitors
with his gun all afternoon.
“I was in the bar when the
policeman first came in and
threatened to shoot
customers if they failed to
buy him drinks. He boasted
that he felt like killing
someone today, but other
customers and I pleaded
with him.
When the three guys walked
in and sat, he went to them
and threatened them too.
But the guys told him to
calm down that they would
take care of him but he
should comport himself as a
responsible police officer.
Nobody knew he took offence
with their statement. The
police officer shot the three
guys one after the other as
they stepped outside the
hotel before killing himself.
The whole thing happened
like a movie,” he said.
Another resident Ladipo Idowu told Punch
that the policeman was known to foment
trouble in the area.
He said James usually fired his gun
indiscriminately and the residents had
warned the hotel authorities to caution him
but nothing was done about it.
Another eyewitness, Dada Salawu, said, he
was passing by when he saw the
policeman and the three friends exchanging
words. He said hardly had he left the area
when the policeman opened fire on the
victims.
A former girlfriend to one of the slain twins
told SUNDAY PUNCH that they were the
only children of their parents.
The lady, who was inconsolable as she
spoke, said the twins were still mourning
the death of their father who passed away
in June 2014 when their lives were cut
short.
Refusing to have her picture taken, she
said,
“I called them very early on
Saturday morning not to go
outside their compound after
I dreamt of seeing blood. I
called them again at about
2:00pm to warn them. The
twins, however, decided to
drive a vehicle a relation had
just bought at about
3:00pm. They drove to
Paulson Hotel.”
The Sports Utility Vehicle which the victims
drove was still parked in front of the hotel
by the time our correspondents left the
scene.
An angry mob, which later gathered at the
scene of the tragedy, attempted to burn
down the hotel and destroy properties
within its premises.
As irate youths threw bottles and stones at
the hotel, lodgers ran out of their rooms
with their luggage and fled the scene. As at
the time of filing this report, the hotel had
been completely deserted by staff and
guests.
The youths also wanted to burn the corpse
of the policeman, but policemen, who later
got to the scene pleaded with them.
Policemen led by the Divisional Police
Officer of the Ketu Police Station arrived at
the scene at about 5.30 pm to carry the
corpses away.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joe
Offor, confirmed the killings to our
correspondents on the telephone. However,
he said he had not yet received the full
details of the incident.
DSP Joe Offor said:
“The policeman was on duty
at that hotel. He was
attached to Mopol 22, Ikeja.
He was drunk while on duty
and he acted under the
influence of alcohol.”
Efforts to speak with the management of
the hotel on the incident proved abortive as
it was deserted as of 6.30pm when Punch
left the scene.
When they visited the home of the twins at
No. 3, Dairo Street, Ketu, a sea of
sympathisers were gathered, while friends
of the victims vowed to revenge the killing.
The entire neighbourhood was in tension
with nearby hotels, drinking joints and
shops closing for business earlier than
usual.
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