Mother Of Twins Killed By Drunken-Cop Cries "I’ve Been Stripped Naked"

Beatrice Oyesolu, 75-year-old mother of twin brothers shot dead on Saturday by a trigger-happy policeman guarding Paulson Hotel on Anibaba Street, Ketu-Ikosi, Lagos, has cried out that the
promises her children made to her had been shattered.

According to the mother, “I just came back from church yesterday when they broke the news of their death to me. The government should help me because Taiye and Kehinde were the only hope I have. I have been stripped naked because they are my clothes. Who will I turn to now?

“They promised me a lot of things next year. They wanted to start building a house on my parcel of land next month. This is the seventh month after the death of their father.”

She said the bachelor children aged 34 ─ Taiye, a naval officer and Kehinde, an engineer ─ had concluded plans to start building her a house next month before the tragedy struck. They hailed from Oro, Kwara State.

According to a resident, the drunken policeman, Stephen James, with Force number 217884, had opened fire on the brothers and their friend, Jeje, who was celebrating his birthday on the fateful day. The trio had cautioned him to stop harassing customers, who reportedly declined to buy him bottles of beer. James, said to be a drug addict and notorious for shooting sporadically, killed the twins and their friend before he shot himself dead. Jeje was outside the hotel smoking and he told him to leave. They were still on it when he shot him. Taiye tried to approach him; he shot him. He shot Kehinde while he was fleeing and later turned his gun on himself.

A relative, who did not want his name in print, demanded that the police should be made to compensate the mother of the deceased.

He said, “Why was he given a gun when they knew he was a drunk? The police must be sued. They should also pay compensation to the mother.”

A resident, Dele, said the fatalities would have been more if he was allowed to enter the hotel.

He said, “After he had killed the three guys, he wanted to enter the hotel premises, but the gate had been locked from inside. He was frustrated and shot himself. Sometime when he was drunk, he would say ‘I go kill 30 people, I go kill myself…no case.’

Sad! Terribly sad and I pray God consoles the twins' mother in His own way.