Fifteen-year-old Sarah Ibikunle, a fried fish hawker, who
was killed by a stray bullet around the Lekki area of Lagos State on Thursday
during a bank robbery, had an ambition to become a lawyer.
The deceased’s aunt, who identified herself as Mrs. Omolafe,
told Sunday Punch on Saturday that Ibikunle was eager to study Law after her
secondary education, adding that she was abandoned by her mother when she was
two years old.
Ibikunle, who lived with her aunt on Babalola Close in the
area, was brutally killed on Thursday by a gang of robbers, who stormed a
branch of FCMB on Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, on the fateful day.
The victim was hawking fried fish after she returned from
school before a bullet hit her.
Three policemen, whose names were yet to be ascertained, and
Ibikunle were shot dead during the shooting. The cops were said to be part of a
police team, which stumbled on the rampaging bandits while they were escorting
a bus belonging to an oil company.
When our correspondent visited the deceased’s family on
Saturday, the atmosphere was still solemn. Sympathisers were seen trooping in
to their residence to offer condolences.
Our correspondent was shown a drawing given as homework to
the deceased by one of her teachers. Therein, she drew an image with a caption
“I want to be a lawyer.”
Amidst tears, Omolafe said the family’s grief was compounded
by the bill charged by the Yaba Mortuary, where the victim’s remains were
deposited.
Omolafe said, “Ibikunle was very friendly. She was living in
Ondo State with my grandmother till she (the grandmother) died. I brought her
to Lagos four years ago to start school. Her mother left her and her siblings
when she was two years old and she had never looked after them since then. His
father (my brother) died in 2009.”
“On Wednesday, she showed me the drawing, which she wanted
to submit on Friday. She said her class was told to draw what they wished to
become in future. I prayed for her and warned her not to keep bad company if
she wants to accomplish her goal. She was always eager to learn English. She
watched English movies a lot because of that. She and my son help me to hawk
when they come back from school.
“As if the loss is not enough, we were told to bring almost
N100, 000 to embalm and bury her. They should have allowed me to carry her
corpse that day. I don’t know where to get the money.”
The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said
the state Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, had ordered all the area
commanders to intensify efforts at tracking down the bandits.
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