Kehinde Idowu

2018

Alaba, Lagos State

Kehinde, a 17 year old teenager, left home one evening to go and buy foodstuff for his family. He reached a gas station. SARS officers were there, harassing other people at the end of the street. They suddenly started shooting and Kehinde was hit by a stray bullet. Then, they simply left. 

Kehinde’s cousin tells me the story. She mentions that Kehinde and his twin brother were very tall, and people often thought they were older than 17. Passersby, after the shooting ended, identified Kehinde and called his parents. The body had been brought back to the parent’s house with the assistance of people in the street. 

The cousin was at school the day after when she learned the news from her family. The family did not press charges: they felt devastated by Kehinde’s death and felt anything was meaningless after such a heavy loss. They also could not stay with their son’s corpse in the house for too long. They may have pressed charges later, but the cousin does not know, as each time Kehinde’s name is brought up, his mother bursts into tears. 

She saw Kehinde’s mother a few weeks ago and she mentions how, till this day, she is a shell of herself. The cousin and Kehinde were not close, but she remembers with emotion how friendly and cheerful he was. With the #EndSARS protest happening, she confides, “I hope we get freedom, I hope the day comes we can take a walk in the evening or even at night and not worry that police will pick you up or kill you for your look, your hair, your clothes, anything…”