One person was killed and
another injured on Sunday after policemen attached to the Inspector-General of Police
Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism, allegedly attacked members of the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporations Surveillance Security Team at the Sagamu
area of Ogun State.
It was gathered that the surveillance
team was taking seven impounded vehicles, seized from some vandals to the NNPC Mosinmi
Deport, when the IG’s team intercepted them. There was an altercation and
before the team knew what was happening, the IG’s team allegedly opened fire on
members of the security surveillance, killing one Jimoh Mufutau, the driver of
the team and inflicting gunshot injury on Temitope Odunsi, an occupant in
Mufutau’s bus.
Commandant of the Security
Surveillance Team, Mr. Seyi Oduyoye, who said he was an eye witness, explained
that the policemen doubled crossed them with their van, forcing his men to
halt.
Oduyoye said: “Our vehicles were
stopped by the policemen. Mufutau and Odunsi stepped down from their vehicle
and presented their Identity cards to the policemen. One of the policemen
snatched Mufutau’s ID card. He tried to collect it back, but the policeman resisted.
There was an argument. We also came down, trying to pacify the policemen when
one of them brought out his gun and shot our driver at close range. He killed
one of our members and injured another.”
A leader of the Security Surveillance Team, Mr. Rasaq Adebisi, said: “On Saturday, we got information that the vandals were
planning to carry out another operation at Arepo. Then we decided to lay ambush
instead of attacking. We succeeded in arresting two of the vandals. We recovered
about seven vehicles loaded with 50 litres of gallons of petroleum product.”
Adebisi stressed that his members
were guarded by law as a Security Surveillance Team, adding they were taking
the product to NNPC Deport at Mosinmi when the policemen intercepted them at
Sagamu Round About.
“I was shocked when the
policemen shot and killed our driver. I thought we were fighting for the same
cause,” said Adebisi. “Immediately after they shot, killed and injured our
members, they all escaped. The injured victim is receiving treatment at a
private hospital in Sagamu.”
According to the team, preliminary investigation
carried out, showed that one Mama Tonbra, who deals in oil business at Arepo,
alerted the police. The woman’s product was among those impounded by the
Security Surveillance Team.
One of the men said: “When we
impounded the product, the woman tried to bribe us. She wanted us to release the
product seized from her, but we refused.”
When our correspondent visited the
scene of the incident, the community was tense as some youths in the area went
on the rampage, protesting the killing of Mufutau and shooting of Odunsi.
Mr. Eteleme Nobet, the Chief
Security Officer of the NNPC, who came to the NNPC Deport and saw the corpse of
Mufutau, commended the Security Surveillance Team. He promised that the burial
of the deceased would be footed by NNPC.
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