■ My dad once got an award for rejecting N2m bribe –Daughter
Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) of the Ikere-Ekiti divisional police station that was attacked by a gang of daredevil armed robbers who killed two police officers and three other civilians, including a 25-year-old female corps member, the late Miss Uguwoke Oyinyechi Edith that fateful day, November 25.
The Ebonyi State-born Itumah, who hailed from Abakaliki Local Government Area, was one of the unfortunate police officers killed by the rampaging robbers when they simultaneously attacked the police station and a new generation bank in Ikere Ekiti.
Eyewitnesses said the robbers went into Itumah’s office as if they had planned to make him their target. “He didn’t fall to the robbers’ bullets. They shot him but that didn’t work on him. He didn’t have his rifle when they stormed his office, he ran into a corner of his office and locked himself in so that he could have enough time to prepare for them, but the robbers were too many for him, over five of them must have broken into his office to grab him. They lifted his feet off the ground and shot him. That was when the bullet penetrated into his body and finished him”, an eyewitness said.
The anonymous eyewitness said further that the deceased had just three months to retire from the police force having put in almost 35 years into the service.
“The man was ill-fated. He just had three months to retire from the police, it was after they finished him and succeeded in sending off every other officer that they went for the police armoury in the office and emptied it”, the eyewitness said.
Another, who also craved anonymity, spoke about the female police sergeant that was killed while she was making effort to scale the fence of the police command. He said: “The female police officer that was killed was popularly known as Iya Joel by everyone in this area. We know her as a very nice woman, very friendly and good to all.”
Those who murdered poor Itumah didn’t know that they have tampered with the lives of seven of his children, five girls and two boys, four of whom are already in institutions of higher learning while the younger two are in secondary school. The deceased was solely shouldering the responsibility of these children, including their mum, a petty trader.
Saturday Sun spoke with the firstborn of the late Itumah, 24-year-old Nkechi Itumah, who is about to complete her Higher National Diploma (HND) at Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State.
The young lady fought back tears as she relayed her last moment with her dad: “My dad was the best father ever, if I happen to live this life again, I would choose him as my father a million times. I will miss him so much, he was very loving, tender and caring. We don’t lack anything, my father was the best and he didn’t force us against our wish and even if he didn’t feed well, he would make sure we all eat.
“Two weeks before they killed him, I called him to say that I was coming to Ekiti to get some clothing materials for the yuletide and also in preparation for resumption of school in January. Our last moment was when he gave me some money to go for the shopping and I came back the following week. He was so full of life and still assured of his love for us. Little did I know that it was the last time I would see him alive.”
Asked how the family is taking the fact that Itumah is no more, her voice sounded broken when she managed to say that it appeared everyone is having a bad dream they are praying to wake up from. “It’s not been real for us, we are still pinching ourselves to be sure dad has really gone, it has been very difficult to accept it. My mother, Ngozi Itumah is 45, she is a petty trader in Auchi here. She is the only person struggling to sustain us. It is beginning to dawn on me that as the first born, I have got to tighten my belt now and fend for the family but I still have school fees to pay for a session.
My younger sister who is studying Economics has almost N200, 000 to pay coming session, our younger brother reading law also has to pay over N200,000. Dad has assured us that even if it comes to borrowing money and starving himself to death, he would ensure that we all get quality education to face our lives. He even wished that some of us would finish our education and join the police force and become top shots there. Now, such hope is dashed now. It is left for me to tighten my belt and seek for a job so my siblings won’t drop out of school,” Nkechi said in tears.
Saturday Sun asked her what she wants the government to do for the family, particularly regarding the entitlements of her dad and how herself and her siblings would sail through the storm, she said: “My father was a very dedicated police officer. I saw an award he received for rejecting a N2 million bribe while going through his documents lately. That shows how dutiful he was.
“I want the Federal Government to ensure that he is not denied any of his entitlements, his pension and gratuity as early as possible and not to let his children drop out of school and they should put some of his children in the police force, because this has been his dream when he was alive.
“Moreso, I’m appealing to the government and anyone who is touched to come to our aid so that we won’t drop out of school. My dad wanted the best for us irrespective of the cultural bias for educating the female child, my dad wanted all of us, especially, the girls, to get the best of education he could afford. You can imagine a man with seven kids, five girls and two boys all in school, one studying Biochemistry, another Economics and the other Law. In fact, his plan for me is to study up to Master’s degree level before I seek for job,”Nkechi said fighting hard not to sob again.
Itumah, according to his daughter, Nkechi, has lined up a number of things for himself after his retirement. Unfortunately, he can’t do those anymore.
“He has been making a lot of arrangement, plans for a very long time for his retirement, which I think is due by June next year. Although, job schedule sometimes makes us not to see him for a long time, we know he was very near retirement and had been planning big for it.”
Nkechi wondered how, according to reports, the gunmen had to purposely go to attack his dad in his office and even ensured that they killed him. Sounding as if she suspected a foul play, she requested that the government and the police force carry out a proper investigation into his killing.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu has assured that he would hunt down and bring to justice the gunmen that attacked the police station and the bank that day.
Narrating the reports he got about the robbery incident, the CP’s spokesman, ASP Victor Babayemi, said: “I can confirm that there was a simultaneous attack on the police station and the bank office by a group of armed robbers numbering between 35 and 40, according to eyewitnesses. It was a spontaneous attack and our men responded and there was gun exchange, some of the robbers were fatally shot regrettably and unfortunately, we lost two of our men, a female sergeant and an officer whose identities we don’t want to disclose now because we haven’t formally informed their families.
“The two police personnel didn’t die immediately, they were rushed to the hospital but they died in the hospital. Also, a female corps member who was using the ATM in the bank was also shot dead. Our armoury was not attacked, it is intact.
“Although, the robbers later escaped into the bush, some of them were fatally shot and adequate personnel have been mobilized to be on their trail as we speak.”
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