My husband was killed by a stray bullet, but the governor and the police denied it, ”says Ogun, a mason’s widow.
The widow of a bricklayer killed by a stray bullet spoke of the incredibly sad incident in an interview with The PUNCH.
Bricklayer David Amusan, 32, was killed by a stray bullet in February when police opened fire on protesters in Ogun State, expressing their anger over the death of killed Remo Stars soccer player Tiamiyu Kazim. agent of a special anti-theft squad. Amusana’s 24-year-old widow Odunayo tells DAOUD OLATUNJI about the death of her husband and the failure of the police and Governor Dapo Abiodun to bring justice.
What do you do for a living?
I sell goods in front of my house.
How many kids do you have?
We have two children: a boy and a girl.
How did Kazim die?
That day my husband went to work, and I was at home. He returned home a few hours later; it was unusual for him. He came around 23 or 12 o’clock; he said he went home to eat and I cooked for him.
After eating, he said he would be back soon. I thought he was going to visit my aunt who lives nearby because she was only wearing a T-shirt and a shirt was on her shoulders. Soon after he left, I lay down, and while I was resting, the woman who was his boss’s wife came to ask. A few minutes later his younger brother came up and asked me where he was. I told both of them that he was not at home. I also explained that he returned from work and decided to go hiking because he could not ride a motorcycle due to the violence that took place after the death of the footballer in Sagama.
I told them that my husband had to drive through a government restricted area because the place he was going to was not too far from our house, and that I greeted him. While arguing with them, I saw my son-in-law, Mr. Timothy, arrive. When he joined us, he had a fight with the woman, and I found her eyes were “red” (they were bloodshot). My brother-in-law told me to go into the house. The woman left, and I asked my son-in-law, also a welder, if he would like to give him a job. He said no, he just asked a few questions.
How did you hear about your husband’s death?
I was shocked when my aunt, who, it seemed to me, had come to visit my husband, called me and said that she was staying at our house and did not see me on the street. During this time, most of them have already seen his corpse and went to identify him. He asked me where I was; I said I was at our house. I am worried about the call. I picked up the phone and called my husband’s line, but he did not answer. I called again; Someone answered me and said that the owner of the phone was at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Clinical Hospital, Sagamu. She said my husband was at the morgue. I was surprised and began to question the person.
Shortly before that, there was a riot in Sagama over the death of a football player, and the tension eased. People started to move and went about their business. I hung up and called his other line. The same person responded and said that he was banished and that anyone who knew my husband should have returned his body to OUTH. I was delighted. My body was shaking; people already knew what had happened. People came to call my mother to come and pick me up. They removed my phone so that I would not call my husband. I told the man that my husband went to work, but they said he was hit by a stray bullet while trying to cross the street. I heard that after he was shot, he was taken to the hospital.
When did it happen?
This happened on Monday, February 24, 2020. He was killed in Phase I by Mosimi on Avolovo Street. They said that the footballer was killed. They called him Kaka. He was killed on Saturday. Some people protested on Monday. Where we live is off the main road; I have no other business than driving my children to school and going there to buy this or that. That day, two days after the killing of a football player, I just saw people running and closing doors. So I also went into the house and called my husband. He said he was getting ready for work and went to work before the accident happened. He was at work but had to return home because one of the people he worked with lost his brother. That is why they could not work that day. My husband didn’t know Kaka at all.
What are you missing in your husband?
I missed him so much. He paid for the education of our children in school. I trade in small items using only a small space in front of our rented apartment. He gave money for feeding. He was an orphan and was the firstborn. He had two younger brothers. He paid for the house, fed us and paid the bills. He did everything.
How did you take care of yourself and your children after your husband died?
I have no one to help but God, because his family is not in Sagama. I’m in Ilora, Oyo state. He lived in Sagama before we got married; he learned to mason in Sagama.
What problems did you face after the death of your husband?
I have no one; our landlord has threatened to evict us from where my children and I live by December. The owner said he wanted to use his house. The money is due in December. In fact, my husband received a $ 200,000 loan from the cooperative from which he bought the land. We buried him there. There is nothing on the ground, I told them to bury it there so that the gatherers would not take the land away from us. The owner of the land didn’t even get the remainder because of what happened; he said he would give me time to pay the balance.
What were his dreams?
He promised to build up this land because we only live in one room, which we rented out. He wanted to build his own house and open a shop for me. I have a loan so I can make small sales. He told me not to do anything, but I couldn’t just sleep and wake up. There were things for which I needed money and I could not ask for them.
How did you feel when you first saw his body?
I was sad when I first saw his body. Whenever I think about it, look at our children or remember how I saw his corpse, I am always sad. It wasn’t annoying. He was not a member of the sect; he never beat me like his wife. We have never had such heated discussions and the attention of our neighbors. He died a month when his children were celebrating their birthday. They were born in the same month, although not twins. One of them celebrates his birthday on February 19 and the other on February 20. The oldest is seven years old; the youngest is five years old.
What steps have you taken to get justice?
I have not taken any steps because anyone who wants to sue the government must be well-fed and come from a prominent family. I have nothing, I have no money to give to lawyers. I’m alone; I have no one but God, no one to run to. He was an orphan and I have no father. If we had money, I would know what to do after the accident. His body was mistreated. We were treated like no one. I paid our children to attend school and I have nothing to sell.
Where was he hit?
They shot him between the neck and chest.
A few days ago, the police and the governor announced that no one except the football player was killed. Did you hear them?
Yes, I heard them. If they say no one died, there is evidence that a stray bullet killed my husband. His body was delivered to the CHOICE. When he was taken to the hospital, my husband screamed and moaned in pain. I’m sure he was crying in pain also because he didn’t greet me when he left the house, because he didn’t know he was going to die. It pains me that the governor and the police denied that my husband had been killed by a stray bullet.
The hospital did not treat him at all. It was abandoned. I have heard about bad hospitals; OOUTH is on a different level. They put him on the bare floor. He was not given any treatment. A nude photo of her has been published; there was nothing on it. I know there is justice. No one ever came to me, not even the governor. Nobody acted as if something had happened.
What do you want from the government?
They must help me, especially in raising our children. Their father told them he would send them to school because he believed that life would have no meaning without education. I took out a loan from a microfinance bank and you know that if I charge two N 100,000 children, I will be in huge debt. I just need help teaching my kids from elementary school to college. Feeding babies is not easy.
Source: Sunday PUNCH
