An attack on a bullion van conveying money to a bank has led to the death of a businessman identified as Patrick Stephen, in the Ogombo, Ajah area of Lagos State.
Swage News gathered that this happened as the police engaged the assailants in a shootout, while several other residents sustained bullets wounds.
Patrick, a father of two, was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during a crossfire between armed robbers and police officers in Lagos state and was rushed to a hospital where he died due to negligence and lack of medical attention.
Narrating the incident on Instagram, Patrick’s wife, Seunfunmi, who is an expectant mother, shared details of how she rushed to the hospital where he was taken to and watched him die slowly.
According to Seunfunmi, “My neighbour (knocked) on my door and told me not to panic that my husband was at Doreen Hospital in Ajah and I was needed there. I prayed and my heart wouldn’t stop beating.
“I called his number and someone else picked the phone. I told the person that I wanted to speak to my husband and she said, ‘No, just come now’.
“I hurriedly dressed the kids and we left for Doreen. I walked into the hospital and called Patrick’s number again and the same person told me, ‘Madam, come outside.’
“Oh.. what i saw.. was the most horrible sight. My husband, my best friend was outside the hospital gate, inside a Keke Napep, with a drip on him and a bandage on his head, bleeding from his head and nose. I screamed babe is this you? My son started crying; my daughter kept saying, ‘mommy, I want to meet daddy’. I saw the other victims, I saw the intestines of the guy who was shot in the stomach right next to my husband’s (mangled) body, with his eyes slightly open…he was in great pain, unresponsive, as I called out to him.
“I was like a crazy person holding the three kids. I asked how come no one was helping him and was told that they were making arrangements to take them to the General Hospital in Marina. I was directed to a policeman to prevail on him to hurry up the process. I walked up to him; he was on the phone and someone said he was trying to get funds from the bank. I saw the man who was shot in the leg sitting on the floor and holding his drip.”
She lamented the bad attitude of the policemen who conveyed Patrick and other victims to the general hospital, adding that they had “no sense of urgency and compassion.”
“I noticed he (Patrick) had stopped breathing. I ran to the back to call the nurse, who handed me his things, to check him for me. A doctor showed up, used the stethoscope on his chest and when he was done, I asked him, is he OK? He said, “no, he is not okay,” then he walked away…
“By the time we got to Marina, it was late, he was gone… I remember laying beside him, blowing air into his mouth and begging him to breathe.
“Nigeria police, they delayed every process with no pity for my father-in-law and Patrick’s uncle, who had been running around trying to organise the burial. They extorted money from an old man in mourning; God had to send an angel to prevail on someone higher up before they released his body to us.
“Why didn’t *** bank use the correct bullion van to transport their money, the one they used had been banned by the government. How did robbers know money was going to be moved? Why was Patrick not rushed into surgery or given oxygen? I have so many questions and my pain runs deep. They stole our gem, his parents and siblings are distraught. I’m carrying a child who will never enjoy his embrace or sweet kisses.”
Efforts to reach the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, were unsuccessful.
