Emotions were hightened TODAY, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, at the residence of the vendor, ifeanyichukwu elechi okereke, shot dead last thursday by a security aide of speaker femi gbajabiamila, when the speaker himself perssonally paid a condolence visit to the vendor’s widow and her new born baby.
The deceased’s wife had been delivered of a baby about three weeks before the tragic incident occured.
During the visit, Gbajabiamila was seen emotionally cuddling the now fatherless baby whose naming ceremony has been slated in a couple of days.
The visibly rattled Speaker said the incident had left him deeply shaken, and vowed to throw his weight in ensuring justice for the deceased’s family.
The deceased vendor, according to Gbajabiamila, was hit by a stray bullet when his security aide tried to disperse a crowd that had besieged his convoy having stopped, as usual, to exchange pleasantries with newspaper vendors around the Eagle Square, Abuja, a stone’s throw from his House of Representatives office, National Assembly complex. Although this was quite different from the witness account which said that the security aide actually behaved like a possessed or drunken fellow in the use of his firearm.
Giving the name of the security aide as Abdullahi Hassan, who was said to be an officer of the Department of State Security (DSS), the Speaker said, “I expect, and I will see to it that the family of Mr. Ifeanyi Okereke receives the full measure of justice so that their bereavement is not compounded by any actions that can cause them further pain and suffering.
“Additionally, I have committed to them that I will support his wife and the immediate family he has left behind,” stressing, “I commiserate with the family of Mr Ifeanyi Okereke and ask all Nigerians to join me at this time to pray for the peaceful repose of his soul,” Gbajabiamila said.
- Pix: Elechi Okereke’s widow (below); Above Speaker Gbajabiamila cuddling the new born fatherless baby during the visit
