By Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reached out to the mother of late Jumoke Oyeleke, the salesgirl who was reportedly shot killed during a Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos on July 3.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs Ifeoluwa Oyeleke, and her remaining children who were residing in a shanty, received a well-furnished two-bedroom apartment in the Ikorodu area of the state and N1 million in compensation.
Handing over the keys of the new apartment to Mrs Oyeleke, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Administration, Mrs Titi Oshodi, said they have been following the matter of the girl allegedly killed by a police stray bullet during the rally and had decided to intervene.
‘We are in the new place of the family of the victim of Yoruba Nation Rally which took place a few months ago. We have been to her initial place of abode, We have been in touch with the mother of the deceased, Mrs Ifeoluwa Oyeleke since the time of the incident, following up her state in every ramification to find out how she is doing, economically,’ Mrs Oshodi said.
‘Due to the compassionate nature of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in ameliorating their suffering as possible, he felt if it is not possible to bring back the dead we can at least ameliorate the suffering of the family of the deceased. So, here we are at the place of abode, for Mrs Ifeoluwa Oyeleke with her three children and effectively present these keys to her and also present a little bit of a token of N1 million from the governor to help fit into the next phase of life.’
She explained that since the tragic incident was not planned, the governor decided to make a quick arrangement for the family by renting an apartment in the interim for her and the other children while pursuing other action moving forward.
In her response, Mrs Oyeleke reminisced that her late daughter was working as a shop assistant when she was hit by a stray bullet, thanking the governor for coming to their aid.
‘Our former house was a rented apartment but we left because the house was sold to a developer and since I couldn’t afford another house, we had to move to the shanty and we have been staying there for about a year before Jumoke died,’ the mother said.
‘’It was a church member who allowed us to stay in the shanty. I work as a domestic assistant, I help people wash clothes, and clean their compounds. I thank the government for remembering me and my children. God will bless governor Sanwo-Olu and what happened to me will not be his portion. God will grant his heart desires.
‘I want the government to help me find a profitable job so I can train my children properly. My children used to attend a private school but I enrolled them in a government school because I could no longer afford the fees of a private school.
‘The house is rented and I cannot afford to renew the rent after the three years that was paid for so I would love to be employed profitably.’
Also speaking, her daughter, Ayomide Adeeko, thanked the government for the intervention, pleading with the governor to also help them to pursue their studies.