Like many Nigerians, I read on several platforms about the Christmas day killing of 41 year old lawyer Bolanle Raheem by police inspector Vandi, attached to the Ajah police station in Lagos state.
Not again, our trigger happy Police men have murdered yet another innocent civilian. Bolanle wasn’t running away from police and so was shot for an offence. She wasn’t being a reckless driver. Bolanle was not involved in any form of altercation with the policemen at the checkpoint where she was shot. She was just happy it was Christmas, and was heading back home after church service to enjoy the rest of the day with family, friends and food.
But the car she was riding in with her husband and family was stopped at the checkpoint in Ajah. She sat there, in the car with her husband and the rest of her family, probably thinking of putting up her feet when she got home, as she was said to be 7 months pregnant. Could be she was just thinking of lounging in front of the television with her family to share happy moments…
But she would be dead a few minutes after the happy thoughts played in her mind.
There was blood on her chest from a bullet that passed through her from Drambi Vandi, the trigger happy policeman. Thankfully there were witnesses. There were people who saw what happened to this family. There were other motorists, passersby, her husband, her sister and the rest of the family in the car that day. They were perhaps too shocked to respond immediately and when they finally did, took her to a hospital that claimed it “couldn’t handle it.” So they drove her to another hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Now, why didn’t the first hospital at least stabilize her before she was taken away from there to another?
Did they attempt to stop the bleeding for instance? Or as soon as they heard it was gunshot, immediately decided it was “against hospital policy.”
A gunshot victim’s best chances are usually within the first few minutes of getting immediate medical aid. Did someone put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding?
It didn’t seem so from the several accounts of the story I have read. There was plenty of confusion especially as Bolanle’s sister was reported to have run after the offending officer to hold him for the crime he just committed. If she hadn’t he would have fled the scene, most certainly.
So what did the other policemen do when they saw their mate had shot a civilian and she was bleeding profusely? a
Were they busy arguing among themselves while the woman lay dying?
Do they even know the first thing about saving a life. If they had at least attempted to save her and she didn’t end up dying, they wouldn’t be in as much trouble as they would with her death!
But hey, who are we talking about knowing the first thing about first aid?
Our police?
Do they know what first aid is even if they saw one?
Are they schooled on the value of human life?
Do they care about the human lives they take so recklessly?
Bolanle didn’t die alone, if reports we read online are anything to go by, she was 7 months pregnant with twins. In saner climes, her twins would at least have been saved, especially by the first hospital she was taken to. Our usual, e no concern me spirit prevailed, I guess. That’s probably why the hospital didn’t think to stablise her or save the babies in her womb.
My condolence to the family that for them, Christmas is forever tainted.
May Omobolanle’s soul and the souls of other victims of our police’s recklessness, forgive us as a nation of careless people and find rest in the Lord.