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| IGP Adamu |
Residents of Iga-Onitolo, Elegbata Community on Lagos Island, have been
plunged into mourning following the drowning of four youths in a lagoon.
According to the fuming residents, the deaths of the four boys were
caused by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Unit, Lagos State Police Command. The
incident occurred last week Wednesday.
Our correspondent, who went to the grieving community, gathered that 10
youths jumped into the lagoon to escape policemen chasing them. Four of the
boys died, while six survived. Among the four, only two corpses have been
retrieved, while two are still missing. The
six boys that survived were said to have been fished out of the lagoon by
fishermen.
On that fateful day of October 9, residents were rudely awakened from
their sleep by sounds of gunshots. The time was 1am. Eyewitnesses claimed that
the armed policemen were close to 20 in uniform, while another four males with
them were on mufti. The residents insisted that the policemen stormed the
community at that ungodly hour in order to raid some youths.
One of the survivors, Toheeb Jumat, recollected that when the policemen
came, he and other youths were sleeping. He said it was a normal scene on the Lagos
Island for youths to start running after sighting policemen.
His words: “Immediately we sighted the policemen coming towards where we
were sleeping, we all ran in different directions. Unfortunately, 10 of us went
towards the lagoon, with the hope that they wouldn’t follow us. Unfortunately,
they followed us. When we got to the bank of the lagoon, some of us hid near an
abandoned Marine Police speedboat, hoping that they wouldn’t come after us. But
shockingly, the boys in mufti that followed the policemen came after us. That
was how we started jumping into the lagoon to evade arrest. We held the bar of
the bridge, so that the current wouldn’t carry us away. While we were holding
the bar, those in mufti brought out scissors and started stabbing us. They
meant to kill us. When the policemen reached the water, they started shooting
directly into the water. Thank God I survived. It was some fishermen, who were
going for a fishing expedition that rescued six of us after the policemen had
gone. Unfortunately, four of our friends didn’t survive.”
Another survivor, Mr. Happy Peter’s story was similar to what Jumat
stated.
He said: “We were chased into the lagoon. We’re not criminals. We’re
law abiding citizens of Nigeria. I don’t know why they want to kill us. While
trying to hide from the policemen near the river, one of the policemen came to
where I was hiding and dragged me out. He then pushed me into the lagoon. Before
I knew what was happening, he started shooting in my direction. I quickly swam
away from the spot he focused his shots. The police mission that fateful day
was to kill every one of us. But they succeeded in killing four of us.
After the policemen had left, I tried to come out of the lagoon, but one
of the civilian boys that came with them, hit me with an object immediately I
placed my hands on the bridge railing. I fell back into the lagoon. When one of
the corpses was brought out of the lagoon, there were marks on his neck and his
head, indicating that he was stabbed. We went through a lot. It was when we
were calling for help that the fishermen, who were going for fishing, came to
rescue us.”
Other survivors are Samuel, Damola Wale, Yinka, and Fuad. While
the two deceased brought out were identified as Femi and David.
A 75-year-old resident, who identified himself simply as Freeman, said:
“I was sleeping outside the compound when the Policemen arrived, before I knew
what was happening, they had started shooting. Immediately I heard the gunshots,
I stood up from where I was sleeping to find out what was happening. It was
then I saw the policemen and four other civilians that accompanied them. The
policemen were not familiar with our area. We believe that the four civilians
led the policemen to our community.”
The old man further recounted: “When the policemen saw me, two among
them came to where I was standing. They demanded to know what I was doing. I told
them that I came outside when I heard the gunshots. I believe it was because of
my age that they ordered me to return to my room. Unfortunately, a 15 year-old-boy,
Samuel, who was sleeping beside me, was whisked away. Five other boys were also
picked from their apartments where they were sleeping. The boys were bundled
into the police van. The harassment from the Police is becoming unbearable. Even
if they want to arrest the hoodlums, I don’t see the reason for chasing them
into the lagoon.”
Our correspondent also heard that in an attempt to arrest another youth,
two of the policemen scaled a fence in order to gain access into his apartment.
Unfortunately, the person they were looking for was not at home.
The lucky boy’s mother, who gave her name simply as Iya Bose, explained
that she was sleeping with her physically challenged son when the policemen
scaled the fence and landed in her compound. They then forced their way into
her apartment.
She recalled: “Immediately the two policemen entered my apartment, they started
shouting the name of my son. They shouted that he should come out from wherever
he was hiding. It was when I came out that I saw Azeez, who lives at Onala; he
was directing and instructing the policemen on what to do. When they
eventually saw my physically challenged son, the policemen thought it was the one
they were looking. Without asking questions, they pounced and started beating
him. I screamed and begged them to let him. I told him that he was not the
person they were looking for. Before I realised what was happening, they had
injured him. When Azeez realised that the policemen were beating the wrong
person, he urged them to leave.”
The woman said that like other residents, she was also tired of constant
harassments from policemen.
She added: “My son is not a member of the National Union of Road
Transport Workers (NURTW). What I heard the following day was that the
policemen came to our community on the instructions of a member of the NURTW on
the Island. I want the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to come to our
aid. We’re suffering in the hands of policemen on this island.”
A trader in the community, Mr. Ademola Adetunji, described the death of
the four youths as unfortunate. He said that most youths in the community were
gainfully employed. This is even as he stressed that the youths were not
members of the NURTW.
Adetunji said: “I just don’t know what the policemen want the parents of
the dead boys to do now. We’re still waiting for the remaining two bodies to be
wash to the bank of the river so that we can give them befitting burials. The
deceased were sleeping after the day’s work when the policemen stormed the
community. About 25 youths were arrested on that day. We also gathered that
they had been charged to Yaba Magistrate Court on Monday. This is an injustice.
We’re all Nigerians. I don’t understand why they are maltreating us as if we
are second class citizens. We know what to do, but we didn’t want to take the law
into our hands.”
Adetunji further said: “There was a time we noticed that some bad boys
had infiltrated our community. They were selling Indian hemp. We partnered with
the police and chased them out of the community. We did that to prevent break
down of law and order in our community. Most of the youths in Elegbata are
gainfully employed. Whenever we noticed strangers among the youths, we call the
person. We tell him the dos and don’ts of our community.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should come to our rescue. The policemen
have turned us to Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Whenever they arrest someone,
they demand between N100, 000 to N200, 000 for bail. We want peace on the
Island, especially in Elegbata. We are not trouble makers. We mind our businesses.
Police should stop disturbing us.”
One of the youths in the community, Shamsideen Owolayo, said: “We have
been subjected to series of harassment because we didn’t support a member of the
NURTW at Onala area of Idumota. This member vied for the State Chairman of the
Union in the last election.”
Owolayo added that the civilians that accompanied the policemen to the community
were working for the NURTW branch Chairman.
He explained that last week Sunday, before the Wednesday invasion by the
Policemen, one of their friends, Bayo, was shot dead by the Onala boys in Idumota.
After the incident, they were warned not to take laws into their hands.
“If truly the policemen were sent by their boss, I expected them to
report to the nearest police station or area commander, alerting them that they
want to carry out an operation. Unfortunately, they didn’t make any formal
report to any of the police stations near here. It shows that someone sent
them. It was like war on that fateful day. Those who were sleeping in their
vehicles were also arrested,” said Owolayo.
Owolayo continued: “Some of our friends were chased into the lagoon by
the police. The boys were running to evade arrest even though they didn’t
commit any crime. Some of them were stabbed with scissors in different parts of
their bodies while inside the lagoon. Even the two corpses that were brought
out of the river had deep cuts on their bodies. That shows that the policemen
came with a mission, not only to arrest, but to kill.”
Another youth in the community, Mr. Hafeez Adio, who escaped the
policemen onslaught, said that the policemen came with a plan. He noted
that it was suspicious that the policemen allowed everyone to be in bed before
storming the community at an ungodly hour.
While in the community, our correspondent learnt that on September 1, a
boy called Junior was hacked to death by boys from Onala area of Idumota, on a
football pitch at Ebute-Ero area. Also, on September 15, another person was
killed at the entrance of Elegbata. Adio disclosed that all those killed were
from Elegbata, but those of them at Elegbata refused to take laws into their
hands. They didn’t retaliate.
Adio added: “Unfortunately, those who were chased into the lagoon were
sleeping outside when the policemen came. Immediately they saw the policemen,
the boys took off. The policemen, instead of allowing them to go, went after
them. The policemen pursued the youths until they jumped into the lagoon and
four drowned. Before the policemen came to Elegbata, they had already been to Balogun
area to carry out raids. When the policemen got to the Balogun area, they also scaled
a fence and got into the compound of a woman. It was after they left Balogun
that they came to Elegbata to continue their raiding.
“The raids by the police led to the death of our friends. We have being
living in fear since then. Some of our colleagues, who escaped the police arrest,
have relocated from the community. Those of us who stayed back, stayed because
of our goods. If we leave our goods, the police will loot them. Majority of us
depended on loan to do our businesses. We want the Lagos State Government to
call the policemen to order.”
Another resident of Elegbata, who simply identified himself as Taofeek,
said that even before the invasion by the police, the police had always come on
daily basis to extort them. “I don’t know what our offences are,’ said Taofeek
mournfully.
A son of the Oba of the community, Chief Isiaka Olumegbon, said that the
police came to raid following a minor clash between two youths from Elegbata
and Onala, in the Idumota area of the Island.
He said: “Two persons were killed in Elegbata area and one person was
also killed in retaliation by the Elegbata boys. Had it been elders from the
two communities had risen to settle the issue, it wouldn’t have escalated to the
extent that policemen would invade the community, leading to the death of four
boys.
“I was told that it was the Onala boys that first attacked Elegbata
boys. It was later that the issue of NURTW came into the matter. The Onala boys
also came sometimes in October to rob Alhaja Owoniran of her bag, which
contained dollars and phones. In order to fight Elegbata boys, the Onala boys
went to Ijora to hire more boys to assist them. Unfortunately, on September 10,
one boy was shot to death during masquerade festival. After killing the boy,
his assailants smashed his head. It was as a result of the killing that Ofin
boys decided to support the Elegbata boys to the fight against the Onala boys.
That was how the clash escalated.”
Speaking on the recent invasion of the community by the police, Olumegbon
said: “The policemen came around 1a.m. on September, 9. When they stormed the
community, they started shooting sporadically. When I heard the gunshots, I
came out to check where the gunshots were coming from. It was then I saw the
policemen. I approached them to find out their mission. The policemen were
about 20 in number and had four civilians with them. The civilians were armed
with sticks. One of them told me that they came on an operation. After I spoke
with the policemen, I left and went inside the palace to sleep.
“It was after I had entered the palace that the policemen picked my
sister’s son, Samuel. Immediately I was informed, I came outside, but the
policemen had already left. I believe it was after they left the palace that
they went to chase the 10 youths that ran into the lagoon.
“The boy that led the policemen into our community is residing on
Elegbata before he went to join the Onala boys. Whenever the Onala boys
want to talk, they would say the Elegbata boys are dealing in drugs and
cocaine. I abhor such a thing in the palace. I don’t want people to
discredit the palace because it’s a sacred place.”
Olumegbon added: “The boy that led the policemen to arrest our youths in
Elegbata has escaped from the Island. Even his parents also called him on phone
to come and explain what he knows about the incident, but he denied partaking
in it. On Saturday last week, when the corpses of the deceased were
evacuated from the lagoon, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) from Lion
Building, Bode Ojajuni, was on ground. He promised to get to the root of the
matter. What we’re demanding is peace on the Island.”
When our correspondent called the Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana, about the incident, he didn’t pick his calls.
Our correspondent also sent a text message on the matter, but he also didn’t
respond.
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