When three-year-old Ikeoluwa
Olaniyi was playing with her
friends in her grandfather’s
compound in Ire Akari Estate,
Isolo, Lagos, on September 3,
2013, little did she know that
death was lurking. PUNCH
Metro learnt that a teenage
motorist, Chinyere Wagbaranta,
in company with her brother,
Chisom, and a police corporal
attached to Police Mobile Force
22, Felix Adebayo, in a
Mercedes Benz Sports Utility
Vehicle, drove into the
compound carelessly, hitting
the little girl and crushing her
skull.
The victim’s grandfather,
Adesola Elegbede, who spoke
to our correspondent while
fighting back tears, said
Ikeoluwa was his first
grandchild. He said, “Ikeoluwa
lives with me and my wife. Her
father works in a bank and her
mother works with an
accounting firm, which are both
located on Victoria Island.
Ikeoluwa attends a school in
Ilasa, which is not far from our
house. She stays with her
parents during the weekend.
“On the day of the incident, I
came in and saw her eating
yam just outside the main door
and told her to go inside. A few
minutes later, I wanted to go to
my friend who lives a few
houses away from mine and
Ikeoluwa attempted to follow
me but she met some of her
friends playing in the
compound so she joined them.
“A few minutes later, I heard a
loud scream that Ikeoluwa had
been crushed by a vehicle in
the compound. I ran to the
scene and observed that the
side of her head had been
crushed. I saw the vehicle that
hit her but the occupants had
fled. I carried my
granddaughter to Good Health
Hospital, where she was
declared dead.” Elegbede said
he immediately ran to the Isolo
Police Division to report the
matter and it was there that he
met the culprits. He said
Chinyere drove recklessly into
the compound because she
was on a mission to fight one
of his neighbours. He said, “I
was told that Chinyere and her
brother hired the Police Mobile
Force member, who is attached
to a bank in the area, to escort
them to our compound to fight
one of my neighbour’s children.
“They drove recklessly from Ire
Akari Road into my compound
and after crushing my little girl,
the armed MOPOL aided them
in escaping from the scene.”
The grandfather said four days
after the incident, Chinyere’s
parents, in company with the
Divisional Police Officer, Isolo,
Adamu Ibrahim, and a chief in
the area came to apologise
over the incident, urging him
not to pursue the case.
Elegbede, however, berated the
police for not handling the case
professionally. He said, “When
they came to visit me four days
later, I was shocked that the
DPO escorted them to my
place. Why should the DPO be
pleading on their behalf, telling
me it was the will of God?
Anyway, I told them to go and
beg Ikeoluwa’s parents
because I am not her father.
“On September 9, the DPO
called me again saying the
Area D Commander at Mushin
wanted to see all the parties
involved but on getting there,
the DPO told us to return to his
own station. “When I noticed
that the case was not being
handled properly, I asked the
DPO to transfer the matter to
the State Criminal Investigation
Department, Yaba, but he
refused to do this. “I am aware
that Chinyere is 18 years old
and is an adult. I have already
started hearing that the police
want to manipulate her age, get
her a fake affidavit and give her
a soft-landing. I will not accept
this.” The victim’s grandfather
said life had not been the same
since the incident occurred.
While pointing to the spot
where his granddaughter’s
blood was shed, he said, “I
cannot believe this. We are still
in shock. Her mother has had
to take leave from work and
travel out of the country to take
her mind off things. Imagine us
losing such a pleasant and
brilliant girl?” When contacted
on the telephone, the Police
Public Relations Officer, Lagos
State Police Command, Ngozi
Braide, confirmed the accident
to our correspondent. Braide
said the matter was reported as
a fatal car accident and that
Chinyere had been charged to
court.
