The family members of Damilare Taiwo, an Economics student at the University of Lagos, Akoka, have been thrown into mourning following his death a day after he resumed for training at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna State. The army authorities reportedly said the 20-year-old slumped and died during a training session last Tuesday.
His family through the deceased’s father, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, said: “He left Lagos for Kaduna that Saturday, a day after he concluded his project in school, and reported at the training camp on Monday, August 27. He finished his secondary school education in 2014 and gained admission to UNILAG the same year to study Economics. He was just 20 years old. He just completed his project. When he wanted to leave for Kaduna that Saturday, I advised him to be a good ambassador of the family and prayed for him. He was an easy-going child. He had always wanted to be a soldier. In one of his pictures on Facebook, he edited the image of the late Gen. Murtala Muhammed in the N20 note and replaced it with his picture. That is to tell you the passion he had for the Force and how far he wanted to go. He had been showing interest in the army since 2011 when he was 13. It is so unfortunate that he could not accomplish his mission. The army sent some officers to us last Thursday to tell us about his death. They told us that he collapsed during a training session on Tuesday (August 28).” Oyedele, a building material dealer, described his son’s death as devastating to the family, lamenting that they had invested so much hope in him. For years, the businessman would battle to get over the heartache of the irreparable loss. A devout Christian, Damilare was fondly addressed as ‘Pastor Dammy,’ ‘one of the God’s Generals,’ ‘Woli agba,’ among other religious nomenclatures. “There is no way I can forget him. He was my first child. He was very devoted in churches, both at the community and in his school. It is only God that can comfort me. He was a role model to his two siblings. He was a cool-headed person. If he was not reading, he was surfing the Internet, studying the Bible or helping his mother in her shop,” the father added in a hushed tone.
His mother said mournfully, “Won ti kan mi leyin okan (They have broken my canine). I learnt my son was beaten to death whereas the army told us he fell and died. I don’t want my son to die in vain. The military said he would be buried in Kaduna, but I don’t want my son to be buried there. They should bring his corpse to Lagos.” Damilare’s younger brother, Moses, explained that his death was painful, noting that he died with many beautiful plans he had for the family. “There were a lot of promises. He personally promised to be giving me N10,000 out of his salary every month,” he said. Moses, who also claimed his brother died under questionable circumstances, urged the military authorities to conduct a postmortem on his corpse. He added, “The military officers that came told us that he slumped and died. But some of his colleagues called and told us that he was beaten to death during ‘welcome home’ tradition at the camp. They said he was complaining that he was tired, but they did not leave him. The witnesses were afraid to speak out so that they would not run into trouble. We are going to take it up; we want to know the cause of his death.”
Photo Credit: Getty
