A graduate of Mass Communication, single mother and caterer, Tomiwa Oni, in this interview with DAYO OYEWO, recounts her harrowing encounter with officers of the Ogun State Police Command, who she alleged shot her while returning from her place of work in the Ota area of the state. Excerpts:
Where were you coming from on the day you had an encounter with the police?
I was returning from where I had gone for a catering job.
So how did it all happen?
I was in the car with my sister, my staff and a driver and when we got to the Ijoba Bus Stop along Lafenwa Ota Road in the Ota Local Government Area, an unregistered mini commercial bus suddenly flashed its light. We had already moved close to them before we realised they parked in the middle of the road ahead of us. Two of the officers came out of the bus and another two officers came out of the bush by the road, holding guns. They were wearing mufti. Without asking for particulars or even identifying ourselves, the next thing one of the officers said was that we should give them money. So I said I don’t have cash with me. I even tried to look for cash in my bag but could not find it. I then asked if they would accept if I transferred to their account and one of them said ‘Transfer ko, transfer ni’, another officer said they should leave us and allow us to go. So the moment we set to move, the next thing I heard was a gunshot.
What happened afterwards?
I was sitting at the back of the car and my sister was beside me. So the moment I heard the gunshot, the next thing I shouted was, ‘My back’ and that was the last thing I knew until I woke up at the hospital five days later.
How did you feel when you woke up?
My condition was critical at that moment because I could not look at my tummy due to the cuts. The bullet pierced through my stomach from the back, all through to the front. The wound on my back was very deep. The pain was so much that I was begging for death. I begged the doctors to take my life. It was like a living hell for me.
What role did your family play in your survival?
I was transferred to LASUTH from the hospital where I was first admitted. Everybody around me was looking for money for my treatment. My dad was sleeping in his car and did not even have his bath for seven days. My siblings were sleeping on the deck of a building in the hospital. My mum was with me in the ward.
How has the survival journey been?
It has really been a tough moment for me. It is just like the whole world coming down on me. I can’t sit properly, I can’t walk properly, I can no longer do anything to make a living (sobbing). I was told part of my intestines was cut off and it affected my digestive system, which the doctors have to place in another position and it made me eat just two spoons of food a day now and more fruits. Taking drugs every day is not what I am used to, but I have to keep doing it. Again, going to the hospital for check-ups and tests is also another stress entirely.
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