Shi’ites /Police Clash: Channels TV reporter, Precious for burial, today 

By Kayode Adeoti

Channels TV reporter, Precious Owolabi, who was killed on Monday during a violent confrontation between Police and the Shi’ites will be laid to rest today in Kaduna State.
A burial programme that went viral online yesterday, the 23-year-old graduate of Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, who is a corps member attached to Channels TV, Abuja office, would be buried at his family residence in Wusasa, Zaria.
Speaking yesterday while paying his last respect to the deceased, the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, said precious would be sorely missed.
Ibrahim inspected Owolabi’s body shortly before it was removed from the National Hospital Abuja, on Tuesday, for homeward journey.
Owolabi died of gunshot injuries he sustained in Monday’s violent confrontations between the Police and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (otherwise known as Shi’ites).
Speaking with this medium last night, a former course mate of Precious at Unilorin, Bukola Adebambo lamented his passing.
According to her, she graduated a year before Owolabi whom she referred to as Bature.
Adebambo said after her graduation about two years ago, she re-united recently with Precious during a production where she was a cast and directed by the latter.
“It is so unfortunate that we lost him. Precious was my course mate at Unilorin though I graduated a year before him. However,
while serving as a corps member in Oyo State, I came down to Ilorin to take part in a production which was directed by him.
“After going through audition, I was one of the selected casts for the production which lasted for about five weeks. We did our rehearsals at University Road, Tanke unfortunately, the production was not staged due to the reasons best known to the producer,” she divulged.
Adebambo, a former reporter at National Pilot Newspaper however prayed that God will grant his parents and relatives the fortitude to bear the loss.