A Lagos mother, Bintu Omole, has demanded accountability from the police over the death of her 20-month-old daughter, who was fatally shot during a police operation in the Nosamu area of Ajegunle, Lagos State.
The child, Omole Taiwo, popularly known as Tayelolu, was reportedly hit by a bullet allegedly discharged by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Omotayo Olajide, during an operation on November 5.
The incident, which also left another young girl injured, has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the shooting, with the deceased’s family disputing the police account that officers were responding to a clash between rival groups.
Speaking in a video interview published by News Central on Tuesday, November 10, the bereaved mother said she and other people were sitting in a shop when a police vehicle suddenly drove into the area.
She recalled hearing a siren before an officer brought out his firearm and fired in their direction, adding that she initially thought the shots were tear gas.
“We just kept hearing the siren from the police vehicle. We were seated in our shop and were not bothered because we were not on the main road.
“Then we noticed the police vehicle speeding into our area. An officer brought out his gun from the vehicle and fired in our direction. I initially thought they had fired tear gas,” she said.
The Lagos State Police Command had explained that its operatives were responding to a confrontation between two rival groups, identified as Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys, reportedly fighting over toll collection between 9:30pm and 10pm.
According to the police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, Olajide’s firearm discharged during the operation, hitting two girls.
The children were initially rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital, but Taiwo was subsequently transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where she later died. The second victim was said to be receiving treatment in stable condition.
The officer was reportedly detained by the police following the incident as investigations commenced.
However, Taiwo’s father, Femi Omole, rejected the claim that a clash occurred in the neighbourhood that night, insisting that there was no confrontation to warrant the police operation.
“No, there was no fight in Nosamu on that day. Even when there was a fight (in previous times), the police don’t go there to shoot,” he said.
Also disputing the police account, Sekinat Abolarin, a relative of the surviving victim, said residents would have taken their children away from the area if there had been any confrontation.
“There was no fight at all. If there had been any fight, we would have taken our children away from the shop,” she said.
Abolarin confirmed that the injured girl, her younger sibling’s daughter, was receiving medical attention at a general hospital.
For Bintu, the tragedy has been compounded by the loss of Taiwo’s twin, Kehinde, who died shortly after birth. She said the experience of losing both children had left her devastated.
“My daughter has a twin, but we lost the twin (Kehinde) shortly after their birth. The pain I went through during pregnancy was not easy,” she said.
Demanding that the officer involved should not escape accountability, the mother appealed for justice, insisting that her daughter’s death must not be treated as another unresolved incident.
“I don’t want the police officer involved to go unpunished. May God arise and fight for Tayelolu. Her death must not be in vain,” she said.
As of November 10, the police had not announced the outcome of their investigation or disclosed any disciplinary action against the officer.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting, particularly the conflicting accounts of what prompted the police operation, remain central to the family’s demand for an independent and transparent investigation.
