21-year old man shot dead in his sleep

It was tears and gnashing of teeth for the families of Olalekan and Asimiyu of Orisasola Compound at Oke Are area of Ibadan, as their 21-year-old son, Rilwan Asimiyu was shot dead in his sleep by an unknown assailant.

 Rilwan was said to be sleeping in a one room apartment alongside his friends, Ajibola Olalekan(19), Olalekan Sadiq(17) and Lateef Waliu (19)when the assailant arrived around 3.00am, shooting him in the chest at close range.

 The unidentified man, Daily Sun gathered had after gaining entry into the house, immediately, locked the door leading to the room of Pa Muraina Lawal, 98 year old grandfather, who was living very close to the room where Rilwan and others were sleeping at the time, to prevent any interference.

 He, thereafter, broke the door leading to where the deceased and his friends were sleeping, while flashing the torchlight as a way of indentifying the occupants before finally firing the shot, which snuffed life out of Rilwan.
 When Daily Sun visited the scene, the deceased’s mother, Idayat wept uncontrollably, seeing her son in the pool of his blood.

 Ajibola, who was in the room with Rilwan, alongside others said the merchant of death had woken them up by banging on the door, with the door giving way in the process.
 He said: “ I woke from my sleep, I saw someone holding torchlight and before I could know what was happening, I heard a loud sound of gunshot. I was unable to identify the man who shot because the room was dark.
 “Immediately after the man shot at Rilwan, he demanded for our money and handsets. The four of us usually keep our mobile handsets on the small table in the room. I told him we did not have any money, but Sadiq managed to take one of the phones and gave to the assailant. Unfortunately, the phone belonged to Rilwan.”

 “We later discovered that the man bolted in through the back door and escaped through the same route. I was the one who removed the padlock on the door to Pa’s room before he could come out. We took Rilwan out in the pool of his blood and before we could take him to the hospital, he died. He was shot on the chest ,” Ajibola recalled.

 Asked whether they suspected anybody to have carried out the dastardly act, they all said no, adding that “Rilwan was such a very easy-going person. He was gentle and would not fight with anybody. He was just preparing to write JAMB with the ambition of going to University”.

 The distraught nonagenarian and wood seller said when he heard the bang of the gunshot he initially thought something fell from the roof of the house and upon trying to go out to ascertain what had happened, “I found that I had been locked in from outside. Instead of killing, they could have come for my only handset and take it away. I can’t understand why anybody would kill Rilwan, who is very gentle and easygoing. Since the death of my wife, he and the other grand children have been living with me, giving me comfort. Now, someone has killed him”, Pa Lawal lamented.

 Meanwhile, the police yesterday morning took away the remains of Rilwan for autopsy and proper investigation.
 The State Police Public Relations Officer, Femi Okanlawon while confirming the incident said investigation had since commenced on the incident, adding that the police would ensure it get to the root of the matter.