The 40-year-old mobile police sergeant, Olalere Michael, who killed his lover, Bamidele Cecilia Oluwatosin, and later shot himself dead in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, was married with two daughters.
The incident happened on Thursday, March 2, 2023, inside the premises of the Redemption Model Nursery and Primary School, Agba Dam, Ilorin, located inside the Chapel of Redemption UMCA.
According to Daily Trust, late Tosin, said to be a cleaner at the Banquet Hall opposite the Government House, was the mother of Desmond, a pupil of the school who will be celebrating his third birthday on May 12, 2023.
It was gathered that some parents refused to allow their children attend school on Friday because of the incident which caused panic around the area.
According to residents and shop owners around the school who spoke to the publication, the deceased mobile police officer trailed his lover to the school premises and waited for her to come pick up her child before opening fire on her at close range.
Some of them were astonished as to why “A young and promising guy like this would 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, Olaleye Arodeyo, told Daily Trust.
It was further gathered that the late officer with force number F/NO 497093 was attached to one of the aides of the Kwara State Governor but recently left the position. It was while serving at the Government House that he met Oluwatosin.
Residents who spoke on the issue said they have been dating for a while but trouble started when the late Oluwatosin 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, Mrs Hannah, said.
Unconfirmed reports said Olalere had told some of his colleagues on the day of the incident that he was going to kill somebody and also kill himself.
“But many of them didn’t believe him because he was doing very well as a police officer. He had two houses, one in Iloffa 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 told the publication.
It was further gathered that the late Olalere had tried severally to convince Oluwatosin to rescind her decision to end the relationship but to no avail.
Residents said he had visited the family house of the deceased female friend a few days before 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,” Mr Bello, another resident of the area, said.
A female provision seller in the area who simple identified herself as Mrs Benedicta 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,” she added.
According to the spokesman of the police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, their corpses have been deposited at the morgue of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).
“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,” Okasanmi added.