The mobile police sergeant, who allegedly killed his female friend and himself last Thursday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, reportedly told his colleagues that he was going to kill somebody and commit suicide that day.
“But many of them didn’t believe him because he was doing very well as a police officer. He had two houses, one in Ilofa and Omu-Aran, Oke-Ero and Irepodun Local Government Areas of the state. Here in Ilorin, he was staying in the Barrack and had a very beautiful wife and two daughters”, a police source said.
According to fresh information, Michael Olalere, a 40-year-old Mobile Police Officer attached to 15 PMF, Oyun area, Ilorin, and Cecilia Oluwatosin Bamidele started dating about a year ago when the woman’s fiancé travelled to Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Oluwatoyin has two-year-old son, Desmond for his fiancé, who is due to return to Nigeria soon.
According to residents and shop owners around the school, the deceased mobile police officer trailed his lover to the school premises and waited for her to arrive. He then opened fire on her at close range.
According to witnesses, some of the onlookers were astonished as to why “a young and promising guy like this will kill himself because of a side chic, without considering what his beautiful family will face.
“The officer was dressed in a camouflage police uniform. He entered the school premises at about a few minutes before 8am in his Toyota Corolla car earlier than his female friend who had brought her son to the school later.
“Immediately she walked him, he brought out his AK-47 rifle and shot Oluwatosin on the chest three times at close range and she died on the spot.
“He thereafter shot himself on the throat which blew off some part of his head and the two of them were there in a pool of blood before the police came to evacuate their bodies about one hour later. It was really a gory scene”, a resident, Mr Olaleye Arodeyo said.
The residents said Olalere and Oluwatosin had been dating for a while. But trouble started when the latter said she was no longer interested in the relationship.
“What we understand is that Oluwatosin had a fiancé abroad whom she had a son for, and who was preparing to come to Nigeria having left for Dublin about a year ago. Because of that, she wanted to end the affair which triggered their frosty relationship and their fatal end”, one of the residents said.
Last Thursday, the Redemption Model Nursery and Primary School, Agba Dam, Ilorin, located inside the Chapel of Redemption UMCA, attracted national limelight following the double tragedy.
Oluwatosin was said to be a cleaner at the Banquet Hall opposite the Government House.
The head teacher of the Redemption Model Nursery and Primary School, Samuel Ayeni said Oluwatosin has a “two-year-old son in the school whom she usually drops off during week days”.
He declined any further comment on the matter.
The late officer was attached to one of the aides of the Kwara State Governor, but recently left the position.
Sources said that it was while serving at the Government House that he met Oluwatosin.
Several visits by Daily Trust correspondent to Oluwatosin’s family house located at Erin Ile Road, Gaa Akanbi, Ilorin, to speak with her elder sister was not successful. She pleaded for more time to allow her overcome the emotional trauma as a result of the incident.
Olalere was said to have tried several times to convince Oluwatosin to rescind her decision to end the relationship.
Residents said he had visited the family house of the deceased female friend where he allegedly made away with some electronics and other items he was said to have bought for her.
“This was at the height of his frustration over the situation. But Olalere was very much in love with her and I believe that was why he killed her and shot himself”, another resident of the area, said.
A female provision seller in the area said: “Most times, when the man (Olalere) is around, they used to come to my shop to buy things. I never knew he was a police officer because he doesn’t wear his uniform and seldom comes down from the car.
“But from their disposition, you could see that he truly loves her. This is very sad. Oluwatosin should be in her 30s and a very beautiful woman. It was after the incident we learnt that she had a fiancé abroad who was coming to Nigeria”.
The spokesman of the police command, Ajayi Okasanmi said: “What we can establish now is that the two of them were lovers but at a point, they had a misunderstanding which led to the mobile police officer trailing her to the school, shot her and also killed himself in the process. It has nothing to do with police brutality.
“But the Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, has ordered investigation of this unfortunate incident. No arrest has been made yet. But I can assure you that the report of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is ready”.
Credit: Daily Trust
