1 person dead, 2 police officers hospitalized after clash with OPC members

No less than one person has been confirmed dead in a clash between Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), on Monday, January 9, 2023.

The clash was said to have happened when the policemen fired tear-gas canisters to disperse the group of Yoruba nation agitators around the Gani Fawehinmi Park in the Ojota area of Lagos.

A tricycle operator, who refused to disclose his name for fear of being arrested by armed policemen parading the premises, said the protesters were demonstrating peacefully when a policewoman gave the order to disperse them.

His words: “I saw the woman receiving a call; she did not wear any uniform but she was part of the police team that was mobilised to the area. Immediately after she finished receiving the call, she gave an order for the protesters to be dispersed and they started shooting the protesters.

“The bullets could not penetrate the protesters’ bodies, so the policemen fired tear-gas canisters. What the protesters did was use kerosene to rub their eyes so the tear gas would not affect them. There was confusion when they started shooting and firing tear gas; many of us ran away.

 “The protesters injured two of the policemen; I don’t know whether they died or not but I saw them carrying them away from the scene. A vehicle was also burnt.”

Ruling out the claim that the protest was peaceful, Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin said the agitators disrupted social and commercial activities in the Ojota area of the state, adding that their gathering was unlawful.

According to Hundeyin, the agitators injured two police officers, and in the process of dispersing them, one person was shot dead.

The police spokesperson, while noting that investigations were ongoing on the matter, stated that four suspects have been arrested.