MAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY THE POLICE 5 DAYS AFTER WEDDING.

When on September 15, 2012, Ugochukwu Ozuah, married Joan, his girlfriend of nearly two years; family and friends rejoiced with them at The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, Lagos.

The 36-year-old man and Joan then stayed at the Whispering Palms, a beach resort in Badagry, for three days for their honeymoon.

The couple’s joy was however cut short on September 20, 2012, when the groom was allegedly shot and killed by policemen attached to the Anthony Division.

Ozuah, an indigene of Anambra State and Mechanical Engineering Graduate of the University of Ado Ekiti, was allegedly killed close to the UPS Bus Stop along Oworonsoki-Oshodi Expressway while dropping his friend off.

The friend, Erikefe Omene, who came from the United Kingdom to attend the wedding has narrated how it all happened.

Omene’s side of the story.

“I went to visit Ozuah at his house at Oke Olowo Estate on Thursday. When it was around 10pm, I wanted to leave but he said taxis were not allowed into the estate so he decided to drop me off outside the estate where I would get a taxi. We got into his car, a Honda CRV, and he drove out. As we approached the expressway, there was an ash/blue car that stopped around the same time to drop someone.

“An individual came out of the car which was now parked side by side with ours. Because of the manner with which it was parked, I didn’t know the type of car it was. Policemen approached the said car and I thought it was just a routine check so we didn’t pay it much attention.

“Ozuah parked the car and we both alighted so we could stop a taxi but before he to shut the door, one of the policemen said, ‘Who’s there? Who goes there?’ And shot Ozuah who then fell flat on the floor. Individuals from the ash/blue car suddenly ran behind Ozuah’s car to where I was and I thought the policemen might come around to shoot. So, I ran back into the estate.”

Omene said he went to the deceased’s house to inform his wife of what had happened. He said Joan, and her in-laws took another car and drove back to the scene.

He said upon returning to the scene about 10 to 20 minutes later, he saw more policemen standing near Ozuah who was lying down in a pool of his own blood.

“By the time we arrived the scene, there were many policemen there. The Divisional Police Officer said he just received a phone call that someone was shot. I then told the DPO that it was a policeman that shot my friend. The DPO then asked me to explain and I narrated the story to him. He said, ‘Are you sure it wasn’t someone in black that shot your friend?’

“At this point, Ozuah’s wife started shouting that we should rush him to a hospital. Although he wasn’t moving, his body was still warm. So, we laid him on the backseat and her brother-in-law drove him down to the hospital.”

Omene remained with the DPO and reiterated what had happened but the DPO was adamant, saying the killers must have been armed robbers in police uniform. He and the DPO then drove to the hospital where the doctor said Ozuah was dead. Omene immediately went to the police station where he wrote a statement.

Ozuah’s remains were said to have been deposited at the morgue of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said it was armed robbers that killed Ozuah and not the police.