Late Sergeant Fidus Joseph Usang, was a Nigeria Police officer who served with the traffic warder department in Sango Otta, Ogun state.
Usang was a victim of armed robbery attack on Saturday midnight, October 14, 2023.
Indeed, it was a regular Saturday for Fidus and his young family as they set out to rest for the night ahead of Sunday’s church service.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned as a gang of armed robbers stormed his residence in lyana Cele, Sango, Ogun State.
The Robbery
Family sources revealed that the armed robbers entered the fenced compound by jumping over the fence.
Afterward, they quietly dismantled the window frames and entered into the sitting room.
The sources confirmed Fidus didn’t attempt to confront them since they were about seven in number.
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In fact, he was willing to give them whatever they asked for so that they could leave without hurting him and his family.
But the armed robbers who were with different forms of weapons including guns and cutlasses locked up Fidus’ wife who is nursing a four-month-old child.
They also locked up their four-year-old firstborn, and his mother-in-law who came to help in catering to the newborn, inside the guest room.
Hence, Fidus was left with the robbers in the sitting room as he continued to plead with them not to harm him and his family.
Blood Bath
Sources confirm that before the rest of the family were locked up in one room, the robbers had taken all the phones in the house and every available cash including some other items belonging to Fidus and his family.
Afterward, the robbers left the apartment and locked the entire family inside while they went to the Landlord’s apartment who was a senior police officer.
The robbers didn’t waste much time at the apartment of the senior police officer before they shot him dead on the spot.
A man who was living close to the compound was also shot in the head after rushing out from his apartment to confirm what was going on outside.
The Return
The robbers left the Landlord’s place without touching the landlord’s wife and returned to Fidus’ apartment.
Immediately Fidus who had no access to any defense tools nor a phone saw them again, he started begging and was ready to give them all they wanted as far as his life and that of his family were spared.
Unfortunately, the robbers didn’t listen to his plea as they shot him in the stomach and left.
Attempt to Save Fidus
After the armed robbers had left, his mother-in-law and the victim’s wife used a wrapper and a towel to tie the wounded spot to prevent air from entering and minimise the outflow of the blood.
Afterward, they ran around the neighbourhood begging people who had vehicles to help in transporting Fidus who was still very much alive, to the nearest hospital.
After some minutes, one of the men in the neighbourhood finally volunteered to drive the wounded Fidus to the nearest hospital that was said to be running a 24-hour service.
No Police Report
Luckily for them, they located Rubee Hospital Limited, Sango, which was not too far from Iyana Cele in Sango.
On getting there around 1:00 a.m., the doctor on duty (name withheld) told them that he couldn’t attend to the gunshot victim without a police report.
The above was contained in a statement from the victim’s wife.
The victim’s wife and the man that drove them to the hospital begged for the doctor’s attention, but the doctor allegedly insisted that he wouldn’t attend to them without a police report.
Even though they explained to the doctor that the victim was a police officer, he allegedly remained adamant and even had to walk away from them.
Government Hospital
When it was obvious that the doctor on duty wouldn’t attend to them, the driver had to drive back to Sango Ota.
There, they located a government hospital where Fidus would have been saved.
While at the hospital, the first thing they were asked to do was to get the hospital card which they did but before they could finish the process, Fidus had died inside the vehicle.
Fidus Joseph Usang, a 36-year-old police officer passed away at about 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 15, 2023.
He left behind a wife in his 20s, a four year old child, a four-month-old baby, and an extended family who he was reportedly catering for.
The Hospital Debunks Police Report Claims
In a fact-finding mission to the hospital, the management of the hospital which allegedly requested for the family to present a police report before Fidus Joseph Usang could be attended to were questioned.
The management insisted that it was not in the practice of the hospital to ask for a police report before a gunshot victim could be treated.
Afterwards, the hospital pushed for a meeting call with the hospital management, the doctor on duty, and the deceased wife.
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During the meeting, the deceased wife insisted that the doctor on duty asked them to provide a doctor’s report before any action could be taken.
No Facility
However, the doctor on duty claimed he didn’t ask for a police report, adding that he doesn’t believe in such a practice.
To him, he told the people who brought the victim to go to the general hospital because their hospital doesn’t have the facility to “explore” a gunshot wound around the abdomen area.
After admitting that he didn’t bother to check the condition of the gunshot wound and the state of the victim, he said he didn’t bother to check because the people who brought in the victim had told him it was in the abdomen that he was shot.
Hence, there was nothing the hospital could do since it doesn’t have the facility for “exploration”.
Police reaction
The family sources disclosed that the armed robbery attack was reported at Ifo police station and on visiting the police station, it was confirmed that the case was reported there but has been transferred to Eleweran Police Headquarters in Abeokuta.
On Thursday, October 19, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola was contacted over the armed robbery case.
After a series of attempts, she informed journalists that she had not been briefed on the matter and that she was working on gathering information on it.
Burial arrangement of Fidus Joseph Usang
The Wake Keep/Service of Songs for Sergeant Fidus Joseph Usang took place in Lagos on Friday, October 20, 2023.
His body is expected to leave Ifo General Hospital, Ogun state to his hometown, 10 Gesila Street, Assiga Old Town, Yakurr, Cross River state on Friday, October 27, 2023.
Fidus’ burial is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 28 October 2023, in his family compound.
