‘The people on the street seem to know whose these kids are… they need to know what they have achieved’

​Anu Okusanya died last Wednesday. She collapsed after running to a friend’s house to raise the alarm after seeing a gang who had attacked her previously beating up someone else.

Her brother, Gbenga, told the Newry Reporter that she had been walking home on her usual route to her house in Damolly Village on Sunday, August 24.

“She saw some young boys beating up someone, and those young boys had already attacked her twice in the recent past - she had reported that to the police,” he said.

“She had to run for cover. She ran for her life and was running to her neighbour and work colleague’s house to phone the police.

“The police were there in two minutes or something like that, but by the time she got to her friend’s house, according to what we are told, she knocked on the door and got in but she was gasping for breath.”

Anu, who was asthmatic, used an inhaler, however she collapsed suddenly.

She suffered a number of cardiac arrests and was taken to Daisy Hill Hospital, where she received CPR for over an hour.

“She got a pulse in the second hour but by then her brain was already damaged because of the lack of oxygen,” Gbenga continued.

“A CT scan was done around 2am. However, even though she had a pulse, the performance of the heart was not as expected so she was transferred to Craigavon at around 4.30am on Sunday morning, where she remained on life support until Wednesday evening when she was confirmed dead and then the machine was disconnected.”

He added that the family has asked for a recording of the 999 call but he has been told they might not get it.

“It seems everybody knows who these kids are. The people on the street seem to know whose these kids are and people on the street tell us that the police actually know who these kids are, but of course, the police may not have had evidence of what has happened.

“Does that mean it needs to be swept under the carpet? I don’t know. But she's dead. Nobody's going to bring her back anyway so I don't feel there's anything we can do. I really don't think so.

“We want to listen to the voice of our sister calling for the police for help when she called 999. I’m going to raise the request but because I’m not my sister we might not get it - there might be some sort of privacy clause.”

Gbenga said that Anu had told him of the abuse she had suffered in recent weeks.

“The first time they came banging on her door. The last time she was attacked was on the Bank Holiday in the afternoon, in the bright day.

“They came behind her and poured some liquid on her. She panicked, she thought maybe it was acid but fortunately it was not acidic.

“An old woman saw it and when the police came and asked her, she denied it. My sister told me then that she thought the old woman's grandchild was part of the gang. It's just there is no proof anywhere.”

Gbenga said his sister would be remembered as “a hard working, selfless lady”.

He added, “That night she actually called the police in order to help the person that was being attacked.

“She was a very selfless person, very helpful, very kind, extremely hard-working. She came to the country only 15 months ago.

"Unfortunately, her life was ended.

“Everybody that knew her had great things to say about her.

“[The people who did this] need to be made aware of what they finally achieved, and their families need to know also what they've actually achieved.”

Her funeral takes place in Chapel of Ease Monkshill on Saturday, September 14 at 1pm, burial afterwards in adjoining cemetery. Poucher Funeral Directors have charge of proceedings.

A funeral notice said she was "dearly missed by her loving son Olaitan, brothers Gbenga, Soji and Tolu, sister Lola and all of her colleagues and friends in Ashgrove Nursing Home”.