It’s the end of the Kemi Show.
Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo, 48, the often controversial but
always outspoken community advocate, was deported to her native Nigeria on
Friday.
“I’ve been criticized by the public and colleagues for
associating with her,” said Const. Scott Mills of Crime Stoppers. “But the
bottom line is we solved some crimes because of my association with her and we
have received info in a timely way, where we got guns off the streets and saved
lives.”
Mills said he received a Facebook message from her last week
saying that she was being deported, and thanking him.
A Friday flight took her to Nigeria.
Olunloyo’s Toronto story started in 2007 when she arrived at
Pearson International Airport from Nigeria, via the U.S., with her children.
She filed an unsuccessful refugee claim and subsequent appeals, which also
failed.
It’s not clear how much time she had spent in the United
States; at least one of her three sons is an American citizen.
But soon after her arrival in Canada she thrust herself into
the spotlight, claiming to speak for the families of victims of violence. She
was the “voice” at news conferences for victims of gun violence such as Jarvis
St. Remy and William “Junior” Appiah.
She wrote on blogs, calling for justice for murder victims.
She gave sound bites to reporters.
She became a celebrity of sorts.
But in July 2009, Olunloyo’s story unravelled when the Star
reported that she was wanted in the state of Georgia, where there were seven
outstanding warrants for her arrest.
There were warrants for failing to appear in court on
charges that included cruelty to children, simple battery, terroristic
threats/intimidation of a juror or court officer, and obstruction of an
officer. A fifth was for bail jumping.
Olunloyo then told the Star the cases were resolved, but
clerks at the Newton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia said otherwise.
The story wasn’t the only chink in her armour.
The 6-foot-tall Olunloyo, daughter of a well-known
politician in Nigeria, was often embroiled in unpleasant exchanges on social
media with those who questioned her motives or called her out for being a
publicity hound. Some of her exchanges were with other Nigerians, some lasting
days and weeks.
One blog claims Olunloyo declared on Facebook her interest
in running for Nigeria’s highest office. The blogger claims Olunloyo had also
declared online her intention to seek an appointment from Nigeria as its high
commissioner to Canada.
Olunloyo claimed at one point that she would be “killed” if
she was deported to Nigeria because of her online outspokenness. Her MP, Mike
Sullivan, asked to have her deportation delayed until her application to stay
in Canada on compassionate and humanitarian grounds was decided.
While some families of victims of gun violence were relieved
to have Olunloyo speak for them and reach out to the media, some were turned
off by what they called her publicity-seeking stunts.
Vesna Cikovic, mother of Boris Cikovic, the victim of a gang
robbery in a west Toronto park in 2008, said Olunloyo took advantage of those
in mourning.
“Who gave her the right to call herself a community
advocate?” asked Cikovic. “She said whatever she felt like, wrote untruths on
blogs. I read something she wrote about (Boris) and I disliked it and knew that
I didn’t want to have anything to do with her.”
Cikovic said victim’s services helped her and her family get
through the aftermath of her son’s murder. “I’m glad Kemi is gone. Good luck,”
she said.
Mills, meanwhile, stands by Olunloyo’s assistance, adding:
“The relation with her resulted in solving some crimes and prevented some
(crimes), and guns being taken off the streets.”
Source: Toronto Star
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