The death of a 22-year-old swimmer, Hassan Atanda, at a carnival in Alaka, Surulere, Lagos, has pitched the deceased’s friends, relations against the police.
While the family did not accuse the police of being responsible for Hassan’s killing, which occurred on December 25, 2010; they, however, alleged that the police were reluctant to investigate the gruesome murder.
But the police at Bode Thomas, Surulere, under which precinct the murder was perpetrated, claimed that the deceased family said they were not interested in any police case over the murder.
The Police also said that because a proper autopsy was not performed before Hassan’s burial on December 28 due to intense pressure by the family to release their son, the force was handicapped in conducting a thorough investigation.
The father of the deceased, Mr. Ibrahim Atanda, a 15-year retiree of Nigerian-German Chemicals Limited, said he was jolted by the sad news of his son’s death.
As if Ibrahim had the premonition of his son’s death, he had advised him on the eve of Christmas not to stay out late.
It was gathered that on the fateful day, Hassan, a talented swimmer, was bubbling with life. His father had warned him not to stay out beyond 11pm as it is the custom of the Atandas to lock their apartment in Iponri Estate about that time.
But because the day was unique and many people were outside having fun, Hassan failed to heed his father’s advice, he went to a carnival that was organised at Alaka and stayed beyond the time his father gave him: He met his untimely death there.
PUNCH METRO learnt that at the carnival, Hassan was shot dead shortly after exchanging banters with a friend.
Ibrahim told our correspondent that he was dazed by the death of his son whom he described as the ‘baby of the house,’ being the last one of his four children.
He said he was more pained that Hassan did not live to realise his ambition of becoming either a successful sportsman or business administrator.
Hassan was said to have finished his secondary education about five years ago. Since then, he had been sitting for the UnifiedTertiary Matriculation Examinations to further his education without success.
As he waited in vain to gain admission to an institution of higher learning, he took a professional course in Information and Communication Technology. Thereafter, he engaged in sporting activities, particularly, swimming. He was said to be one of the swimmers for Lagos State before his death.
He, however, got admission to read Business Administration at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, barely a month after his death.
However, his death has left tongues wagging as the police are being accused of doing nothing to unravel the circumstances surrounding his cruel murder and arrest a suspect.
But Hassan’s friend, who usually trained with him as a swimmer, Mr. Yemi Makanjuola, insisted that the police must investigate the gruesome murder in order to bring the culprits to book. He described Hassan as a promising man who had no criminal antecedents.
Makanjuola said, “I went to the police at State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba. They said the matter was still at Bode Thomas Division. When I went to Bode Thomas Police Station, I was told that they had issues with investigating the matter because they did not complete autopsy and that the parents of the deceased wrote them that they did not want to continue with the case.”
He said it was curious that the police did not deem it fit to investigate the organisers of the carnival.
He told PUNCH METRO that the police also said that young boys at Iponri Estate, where the deceased lived, had all fled the estate on hearing about Hassan’s death.
But Hassan’s sister, who declined to give her name, said that her brother’s death might have been a case of mistaken identity.
She said, “I learnt that on the fateful day, the carnival did not hold at the usual place but at a park near a bar. As my brother went to buy a drink at the bar, he met his friend. After exchanging greetings with him, he left. Shortly after, he was gunned down. Somebody was said to have shouted that they had killed a wrong person. Thereafter, the gunmen disappeared.”
Another friend of Hassan, who craved anonymity, said he saw him at the carnival at about 1.45am on December 25. He added that when he wanted to leave for another fun-spot on Lagos Island around 2am with other friends; Hassan, refused to go with them, saying he was having fun at Alaka.
The friend said, “We met in the afternoon of December 24, 2010. We went for swimming at Union Bank at Eric Moore area. By 8pm, he left us there and said he was going home to pick some things and that we would meet at the carnival.
“I saw him at the carnival. Around 2am, we left the carnival for the Island but he did not go with us. We returned to the estate about 4am. At that time, he called my line and we spoke. He wanted to know where we were.
“About 7am, I got a call that someone was shot dead at the carnival. It was on our way to the church for thanksgiving service that I learnt it was Hassan that was killed. His death really touched me. I urge the police to investigate the matter properly so that the people behind the dastardly act will be brought to book.”
The spokesman for Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, confirmed the incident but told our correspondent on Thursday that the police did not abandon the case.
He said, “The matter was originally reported at Bode Thomas police station but later transferred to the Homicide Department, State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti. The investigation is ongoing.
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