UK diasporan shot dead along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in front of her three children

MEMBERS of the St Theresa's College Ibadan Old Girls Association in the UK are mourning the loss of one of their members Bolanle Aworetan who was murdered in cold blood last week while on a brief trip to Nigeria.

Ms Aworetan, 46, an alumnus of St Theresa's College and the University of Ado-Ekiti, was shot along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on August 19. She had gone to Nigeria for her mother's funeral and was on her way back to the airport in Lagos when she was gunned down by unidentified gunmen.

A resident of Surrey Quays in southeast London, Ms Aworetan had originally travelled to Nigeria in July with her three daughters to arrange the funeral. In a ghastly and cowardly attack, she was killed in front of her three children on their way back from Ibadan where the funeral had held on August 13.

After the attack, Ms Aworetan was rushed to Ibadan but five hospitals rejected her asking for a police report before they could treat her. To make matters worse, the government's University College Hospital Ibadan could not treat her either as the staff there were on strike and Ms Aworetan died shortly afterwards.

Judy Akuta, the welfare secretary of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk) said: "This is a terrible tragedy and we are all moved beyond words at this. Our hearts go out to her children, her family and friends as they come to grips with this calamity."

It is believed that the family are now making plans to fly Ms Aworetan's three children back to the UK to resume their schooling. Her oldest daughter is due to start university in September, while the other two are still in secondary school.