LAGOS—Angry youths at Makinde area of Oshodi, Lagos, yesterday, staged a protest over the death of one of them, Rafiu Adeniji, who was allegedly shot dead by a policeman attached to Agege area on Sunday.
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It was gathered that Adeniji met his untimely death when the commercial bus he boarded from Agege to Oshodi hit a police patrol van believed to be attached to the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, and an argument ensued between the bus driver and the patrol team.
An eyewitness, Johnpaul Igbele, told Vanguard that it was during the argument that the policeman fired into the vehicle and the bullet hit Adeniji. He said the policemen immediately fled the scene.
Igbele said: “We rushed him to a nearby hospital and the hospital demanded for police report. Before help could come he gave up the ghost.”
The eyewitness said when the news got to Makinde Oshodi, where Adeniji lived, the youths mobilised, stormed the Makinde Police Station, attempting to set it ablaze but were resisted by the police, who fired sporadically into the air.
Igbele alleged that during the shooting, two other youths were hit and rushed to the hospital.
However, the youths continued with their protest yesterday as there were rumours that one of the injured youths had died.
A police source at the Makinde Police station told Vanguard that the youths attempted to attack the station but were repelled.
The source said Makinde Police Station was not involved in Adeniji’s killing and wondered why the youths decided to attack the station when the incident happened at Agege.
He said if not for divine intervention and the proactive action of the Police, the angry youths would have succeeded in burning down the station.
Police react
Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Damasus Ozoani, said he was aware of the killing of a passenger at Agege, believed to have been shot dead by a policeman in a patrol van.
Ozoani said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, has ordered full investigation into the shooting.
He said: “We want to know if the man was really shot by the police. If it is true, we want to find out who fired the shot and under what circumstances.
“The patrol team within that area has been arrested and taken for ballistic investigation.
“Shortly after the incident, hoodlums decided to take laws into their hand as they were armed with dangerous weapons and fuel. They attacked Makinde Police Station.
“The police were able to calm the situation and appealed to all those that felt aggrieved to toe the part of peace as the command is doing everything possible to make sure that justice was done. No arrest has been made.”
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