Police Inspector Arrested For Alleged Murder..
A police officer assigned to the Bariga
Police Division in Lagos is in the soup for allegedly killing a youth
named Banji Lawunmi.
CRIME DIGEST gathered that Inspector
Smart Osadolor was recently arrested by his colleagues for shooting
Lawunmi during a fight between two rival groups on Iyeleke Street in the
Bariga area.
“Lawunmi died about three weeks ago. On
the day of the incident, two groups of cultists who routinely go round
the Bariga community, harassing building developers and other businesses
for levies, received N250, 000. The money was paid by a man who had
recently started work on his parcel of land as practised all over Lagos.
After collecting the money, a minor disagreement arose over the sharing
of the money. Before we knew it, the two groups had started fight,” a
resident said, on condition of anonymity.
The source said some residents sent a
distress call to the Bariga police division where Osadolor was in charge
of the anti-robbery department.
In response to the call, Osadolor was
said to have arrived the scene of the fighting in company with another
policeman. But, the two feuding groups quickly set upon both men.
“Immediately Osadolor got down from his
motorcycle and approached the crowd, they rushed at him. Frightened,
his colleague turned and fled, leaving the inspector alone to face the
unruly youths. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, Osadolor fired a
shot, which unfortunately hit Lawunmi in the neck. The cultists ran away
from the scene.
“Osadolor then helped Lawunmi onto his
bike and was about to take him to the police station when more cultists
arrived. This time, they were able to drag Osadolor from his motorcycle.
Lawunmi was still alive at the time. The cultists attacked Osadolor
with bottles and other sharp objects. When they tried to take his gun
from him, he fired another shot. With the assistance of a commercial
motorcyclist, he was able to escape to a private hospital nearby for
treatment. Osadolor was arrested at the hospital by the DPO who was
informed that one of his men was being lynched for killing someone,”
another resident known as Ola said.
CRIME DIGEST gathered that while Osadolor
was being mobbed, some of the cultists took Lawunmi away. A few hours
later, news filtered into the community that the youth had died at the
Ikeja General Hospital due to loss of blood.
Angered by Lawunmi’s death, the youths
of the community were said to have marched to the police station in
Bariga with the intention of burning it.
“If not for the combined effort of police
teams from the Area H command and Op Messa, the situation would have
degenerated to a riot. After he was arrested at the hospital, Osadolor
was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department,
Panti,” Ola said.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer, Deputy Superintendent Ngozi Braide, was not available for
comment as she did not reply the calls and text messages made to her
phone.
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