By Ismaeel Uthman
TWO non-governmental organisations, Good Governance and Leadership Assessment Initiatives and the World Institute for Peace have jointly petitioned the National Assembly on the death of a policeman, Corporal Rauf Fawale, who was allegedly killed by some operatives of the Department of State Services in Osogbo, State of Osun.
Fawale, a policeman attached to Dada Estate Divisional Police headquarters, Osogbo was allegedly attacked by three DSS officers led by one Mr. David Olowoporoku on January 23, 2021 at a birthday party, in which he sustained injuries that later claimed his life.
The NGOs, in a petition written to the Federal House of Representatives, Abuja, by their lawyer, Chief Abdulfatai Abdulsalam, accused the DSS of preventing the officers who allegedly attacked Fawale from prosecution.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the petitioners appeared before the Federal of House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, to defend the petition.
The petition reads: “There is overwhelming evidence showing that he (Fawale) was attacked, assaulted and injured by three officers of the Department of State Services (DSS), Osun State Command and one of the three officers is by name Mr. David Olowoporoku.
“The attack by the three DSS officers led to a severe head/skull injury which caused his death on the 23rd of January, 2021 at the Brain And Spin Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State.
“There is a question that begs for answer and the failure to get an answer means a fundamental slap on the face of justice and Rule of Law in Nigeria, where are the persons who were seen and caught striking the base of their guns against the head of Fawale, which led to his death 23rd January, 2021?
“We sensed that there is a strong attempt by the DSS to bury the answer to this question by not making its three officers who the available overwhelming evidence has linked with the commission of the crime of murder contrary to the criminal act.
“There is overwhelming evidence that Fawale was fatally assaulted by officers of the DSS and that led to his death. Surprisingly and painfully, the Director General of DSS and the Director of the agency in Osun Command have refused to hand over these three officers to the Police for investigation and prosecution.
“Now that the Director and the Director-General of DSS will not allow the investigation of the heinous crimes, assault occasioning bodily injury and murder to be conducted by the Inspector-General of Police for the sake of justice, which is deserved by every Nigerian, our option is to pray for the intervention of the House of Representatives.”
