Drunk Policeman Kills 3, Kills Himself Over a Bottle of Beer

Stephen James

A drunk policeman, Stephen James, on Saturday shot dead three male customers at Paulson Hotel on Anibaba Street around 4:20pm, in the Ketu area of Lagos State, for refusing to buy him beer.

The deceased were twin brothers identified as Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle and their friend also known as “Jeje”. The twins were reportedly the only children of their mother.

The unfortunate Christmas day drama began when the police sergeant with Police service number 217884, threatened to shoot customers if they failed to buy him a drink. The policeman felt slighted after the victims – Taiwo, Kehinde and Jeje – cautioned him to comport himself as an adult and a responsible policeman. Residents revealed that the Policeman smoked marijuana on the regular.

An eyewitness further said that the policeman had boasted about wanting to kill people hours before the incident happened.  Customers said all efforts to pacify the policeman proved abortive as he kept fomenting trouble and harassing visitors with his gun all afternoon.

“When the three guys walked in and sat, he went to them and threatened them too. But the guys told him to calm down that they would take care of him but he should comport himself as a responsible police officer.

“Nobody knew he took offence with their statement. The police officer shot the three guys one after the other as they stepped outside the hotel before killing himself. The whole thing happened like a movie,” he said.

When the gravity of his act dawned on him, the policeman shot himself in the chest.

Residents of Ladipo Idowu told our correspondents that the policeman was known to foment trouble in the area, stating that James usually fired his gun indiscriminately and the residents had warned the hotel authorities to caution him but nothing was done about it.

Another eyewitness, Dada Salawu, said, he was passing by when he saw the policeman and the three friends exchanging words. He said hardly had he left the area when the policeman opened fire on the victims.

A former girlfriend to one of the slain twins said the twins were the only children of their parents.

The lady, who was inconsolable said the twins were still mourning the death of their father who passed away in June 2014 when their lives were cut short.

“I called them very early on Saturday morning not to go outside their compound after I dreamt of seeing blood. I called them again at about 2:00pm to warn them. The twins, however, decided to drive a vehicle a relation had just bought at about 3:00pm. They drove to Paulson Hotel.”

The Sports Utility Vehicle which the victims drove was still parked in front of the hotel.  An angry mob, which later gathered at the scene of the tragedy, attempted to burn down the hotel and destroy properties within its premises.

Irate youths threw bottles and stones at the hotel, lodgers ran out of their rooms with their luggage and fled the scene as the hotel has been completely deserted by staff and guests. The youths also threatened to burn the corpse of the policeman, but were restrained by policemen, who later got to the scene pleaded with them.



Policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer of the Ketu Police Station arrived at the scene at about 5.30 pm to carry the corpses away.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joe Offor, confirmed the killings saying; “The policeman was on duty at that hotel. He was attached to Mopol 22, Ikeja. He was drunk while on duty and he acted under the influence of alcohol.”