Mother of slain 20-year-old journalist cries out for justice -

Mrs. Bose Onifade, the mother of slain 20-year-old journalist Pelumi, has demanded justice for her son.

The young Onifade was covering the looting of a warehouse storing COVID-19 palliatives for Gboah TV in the Agege/Gegetu area of Lagos State when he was shot by a policeman attached to the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Agency (Task Force).

The victim was said to have been shot despite wearing a jacket indicating he was a journalist.

The Herald learnt that the victim was with his colleague when the incident occurred and the colleague tried unsuccessfully to prevent Onifade from being taken away in the Task Force’s “Black Maria” after he was shot.

It was learnt that all his pleadings fell on deaf ears as the victim was taken away and died in the Task Force’s custody.

Reacting, Mrs Onifade appealed to the Lagos State Government to fish out the policeman involved in her son’s killing.

“My son and his colleague were interviewing a woman when the policemen invaded the premises; so, they both ran for safety but because there was nowhere for him to hide, the policemen caught up with him and shot him despite wearing a press uniform. No one knew he was dead when about three policemen dumped him inside a Black Maria.

“We had been searching for him since then; we went to the Abattoir Police Station, Area ‘F’ Division, and the police headquarters, but he was not there. So, when we could not find him, his boss had to post the story online and it was at that point that we knew that a policeman attached to the task force in Oshodi shot him dead.

“A policeman attached to the task force has confessed to shooting him dead and I want justice. The police told us on Friday and it was the following day that they found his corpse at the Ikorodu General Hospital morgue, where he was tagged unknown,” Mrs Onifade told The Punch.