Police kill man during neighbourhood raid

ayodele johnson

May 10, 2016 10:51 AM

The victim was killed during a sporadic shooting by men of the Itire Police Division after hearing news that some residents were carrying fire arms.

Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni

The police from the Itire division in Lagos State have allegedly killed a man simply identified as "Elewure" during a raid of a neighbourhood at Osogbo Street, Itire.

According to Punch, the residents of the community had disarmed a hoodlum who was seen in possession a gun.

After this, the hoodlum was said to have told the police that some residents had guns in their keeps, prompting the police to storm the neighbourhood.

It was during the course of sporadic shooting by the police that Elewure got shot and was rushed to a private hospital where he gave up the ghost.

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The gunshot firing by the police met retaliation from the residents, who hurled pebbles at them, leading to more shooting.

Musa Onitere, a resident of the area gave a witness account of the incident. He said, “I learnt that two groups fought over the ownership of a gun a day before the incident. The policemen were invited from Itire to make peace between the groups on that Wednesday.

“In the afternoon, I began to hear gunshots. Everyone left their goods and fled, while some people locked their doors. When the dust settled, a man was found dead; the victim did not belong to either of the factions.

“The deceased was a commercial driver. He was a hardworking man.”

According to reports, the Rapid Response Squad came into placate the situation in the area, after the men of the Itire Police Division had left.

Akinyele, a shop owner said, “After the Itire policemen left, the RRS men brought three patrol vans and calmed everyone down.”

The corpse of Elewure has been reported deposited in a morgue.

Meanwhile, investigations have began into the matter according to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos.

ayodele johnson