Mr Tiamiyu Fasasi is the father of the Remo Stars football club player, Kazeem Tiamiyu, who was killed by the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad on the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway. The mourning father and the mother, Selimot Tiamiyu, tell DAUD OLATUNJI that they will be happy the day justice is done to the killers of their son, popularly known as Kaka
Kazeem was buried on Thursday, what do you want from the government?
I want justice to be done. All I want is justice for my slain son.
If you were asked to recommend punishment for the SARS officers who caused it, what will you recommend?
My recommendation is that they should be killed because they committed murder against my son. They did not find anything to prove that he was a criminal before he was killed. They too should be killed because they cut short the life of my child (sobs).
Your late son chose to play football? Why did you support him?
Since he was a kid, he always told me that he would love to be a footballer. I had observed him from childhood that he wanted to become a footballer. When he was playing, everybody would know that Kaka was on the field because of his talent.
Who was your son and how did his growing up like?
Right from childhood, Kaka was a gentle, easy-going person and I did not hear that he fought with anybody. He was very hard-working. He chose football as his career. By 6.30 am, he usually went for training and came back by 11am. When it was 3.30pm again he would go for evening training and come back by 7pm and whenever he was back from training, he would take his bath, eat and then rest. Before he moved to Remo Stars Football Club, he was with Smartcity Football Club in Lagos. They were the one that won the FA cup last year and he was one of the best footballers in the competition.
How did you receive the news of your son’s death?
I called his number and one policeman picked the phone and asked if I was the father of Kazeem Tiamiyu. I told him yes, the policeman told me that my son was at the Owode Egba General Hospital. I asked him what was wrong, but he lied to me that he was hit by a car and was rushed down to that hospital. He asked me to come to the hospital, but when I got to the hospital, it was the corpse of my son I met there.
I asked his teammate that they went out together with him what happened and he narrated everything that happened between them and the SARS officials. I held the clothe of the SARS officer that called me that he should also kill me. When the police from Owode Egba saw what was happening, they asked us to go to the police station to resolve the issue.
When last did you see Kaka?
I saw him a day before which was Friday. I saw him around 9.30 pm.
What blessing had Kaka brought to the family?
He was a blessing to our family. He was very generous; if you went to him for any assistance, no matter how small it was, he would assist you. On that very fateful day, somebody told me that he had transferred N10, 000 to her out of his salary; that he had promised her since last year that whenever he received his salary, he would assist her.
What do you do to sustain your family sir?
I am an HND holder in architecture. I am a politician, I was a two-term councillor representing Sagamu ward 11. I have a tipper truck and I also engage in fish farming.
What position was Kaka in the family?
Kazeem is the second born and second son among my children. He was born on August 7, 1994.
How is the family taking it?
The loss of Kazeem is very sad to the family. In fact, I am short of words (sobs).
My son was killed at a time he got offer to play in Sweden, says Kaka’s mother
What do you want from the government now that your son has been buried?
What I want from government is for them to look at one stadium in the state and name it after my son so that his name will remain in history. My son did not have any other job apart from football and his life was cut short. I want the governor to help me fulfill this dream.
What should government do to the SARS officials involved in the death of your son?
I want justice for my son. I don’t just want them to remand or dismiss those involved in his death, I want them to be killed. They should also face the same judgment they gave to my child. If the government does not ensure those culprits are brought to book, there may be problems.
How do you feel about the loss?
When I saw the corpse of my son when they wanted to bury him, I felt bad (crying). I have suffered a lot because of my children and they are the reason I am still in their father’s house. My children don’t partake in cultism, or engage in any bad behaviour. My first born is a lawyer and I ensure that I gave them education and proper upbringing.
Your first son is a lawyer, why did you encourage Kazeem to pursue a career in football?
After he left secondary school, he insisted that he wanted to become a footballer, so I have to support him. When it was time for me to start enjoying the fruit of my labour, he was killed by the police. My son just got an offer in Sweden and he was at the stage of moving to Sweden fully to start playing for the club, he was killed. He was killed at his prime age.
If my son needed N50,000 for a pair of boot, I would look for the money and get it for him. My son didn’t wear any other clothe than jersey. Even that morning, I have washed the jersey and the boot he wore on Friday.
How can you describe him?
My son didn’t do any other thing than football. If he switched on the television, he was always concerned about those playing his wing. He was a lovely boy and always makes us happy. There is no where he had played that we didn’t follow him as parent just to show our love and support for what he was doing.