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The marauding youths were alleged to
have stormed the police station and after police repealed them, embarked on
wanton destruction.
The youth vandalized parked cars and
windows of police station building. It was gathered that the youth got angry
after policemen, who were intent on arresting a fleeing suspected cyber
fraudster, pursued him into a football pitch.
Before the chase, some youths were
already playing football. When the policemen chased the fleeing suspect into
the pitch, some of the youths resisted the policemen from arresting. Angry, one
of the policemen opened fire; his bullet got a man identified as Dada Omotayo
at the back.
It was alleged that men of the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), attached to Ojodu-Abiodun Police Station
carried out the shooting.
One of the eye witnesses, who didn’t
want his name mentioned recounted: “It all happened because the SARS men wanted
to arrest a young man, whom they believed to be a cyber-fraudster. The
policemen pursued him into the football field. Some youths thereafter,
prevented them from arresting him. It was in that process that one of the SARS
men started shooting into the air, apparently to scare away some of the youths.
One of his bullet hit Dada Omotayo at the back.”
Immediately new of the shooting reached
some friend of Omotayo, they mobilized and made a beeline for Ojodu-Abiodun
Police Station.
Some of the policemen were said to
have taken to their heels, when they saw the protesting youths, marching
towards the station.
Case files and other documents were
seen littered on the ground at the station. At least four vehicles,
believed to be impounded, were vandalized.
One of the residents in the
community, Godwin Etim, said: “Before the incident, we saw policemen in a bus
patrolling the area; we didn’t know they were going to arrest someone. We were
on the field, playing football, when one of the policemen, named Jerry, with
two of his colleagues came into the field on a motorcycle. They ordered us to
submit our phones, that we were harbouring an internet fraudster in our midst.
We all denied it. An argument ensued and Jerry started shooting into the air. A
stray bullet hit Dada at the back.”
According to Etim, the shooting had
everyone scampering for safety. “As we were running, I heard Dada’s brother,
Tunde shouting that ‘Dada had been shot.’ At that point, we all stopped
and went back to assist him. Some of the youths decided to carry Dada to the
station to protest. When Jerry and his friends sensed what was about to happen,
they abandoned their motorbike and bolted,” Etim.
Etim further recounted: “While on
our way to the station, news of the shooting had spread like wildfire. Other
youths in the community came to join those of us marching to the police
station.”
The elder brother of Dada, Adeshina
Omotayo explained that he was in his office when he received a phone call that
his kid brother had been shot by the police.
Adeshina said: “Immediately, I left what I was doing
in my hair salon. I raced down to the hospital; my prayer was that Dada should
not die. Since I got to the hospital, Dada had not spoken, but the medical
doctor is trying to operate on him, to remove the bullet.”
A policeman, attached to the station, said: “On
daily basis, we are trained on how to relate with members of the public, especially
during arrest. But since some SARS operatives were transferred to this station,
we had not known peace. We had good working relationship with the members of
the community, before their arrival, the youths shouldn’t have taken laws into
their hands. I believe the youths knew how we relate with them. Their action is
uncalled for.”
A resident, who simply identified himself as Adedayo
said, “We are going to support the police to arrest the perpetrators of the
act and bring them to book. They cannot just come and vandalized what we labour
to fix for the betterment of the whole community.”
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