Family demand justice over 59-year-old man killed by 'Koro Boys'

The family of a 59-year-old ShuaibuTijani who was on Tuesday night killed by a group of youths popularly known as 'Koro Boys' in Tunga Maje, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja has call for justice.

 

The family of the late Tijani who hailed from Ofejiji-Oganenugu in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State said it is unacceptable that the Police has not done anything four days after the attack on their bread winner.

One of the late Tijani's sons, Sani, who spoke to reporters, said the boys numbering about 12 stormed their residence at Angwa Bassa, brandishing different weapon like cutlass, knife and stick, with the aim of attacking him and his younger brother, Salam.

The 23-year-old Sani said, "When we were playing football at a field in Tunga Maje, on Tuesday, 4th April, 2017, a boy came and he was asked to be the goalkeeper for my team but I decline because he was not too good. I decided to be the goalkeeper and the boy insulted me. My younger brother, Salam, who was at the field then cautioned the boy to stop insulting me since am not his age mate. There, the boys started threatening my brother and me, boasting they would come for us later.

"At night, after 8pm, they arrived at our residence with cutlass, knife and some of them holding sticks. They started looking for Salam who was at a chemist store watching television. I quickly ran to him and urged him to go and hide in the room. But as soon as I came out, I saw my father advancing to the boys to ask them what could have gone wrong. They attacked him and he fell down, hitting his head on a stone," Sani said.

He added that even while his mother and others were battling to rescue his father the attackers refused to bulged threatening to deal with him and his brother.

"It was then my mother left my dad and went to report the case at Tunga Maje Police Station," he said.

According to the wife of the deceased, Habibat Tijani, who narrated the incident amidst tears, the police officers at Tunga Maje were reluctant to follow her as they were afraid of the Koro boys.

She said, "Even the police officer that later followed me home saw that despite my husband's condition, some of the boys were still around, threatening to do and undo. With the officer, we carried my husband to the station at Tunga Maje.

"There, they transferred the case to Zuba Divisional Police Headquarters and we carried my husband to the station in Zuba. It was in this process that my husband died. I want all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the matter. I appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to ensure that the killers of my husband were brought to justice to serve as a deterrent to others," she said.

At the Zuba Police Station, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) of the case, Alhassan popularly called Dan-Fulani, who confirmed the case described it as unfortunate.

He said no arrest has been made as the police are still on the trail of the attackers.