A 28-year-old bricklayer, Wahab, on Tuesday, was shot in the neck and other residents robbed and injured, as hoodlums unleashed terror on Daodu, Olokodana and Iya Agan streets on the Old Apapa Road in Lagos State.
Wahab, who hailed from Ilorin, Kwara State, had come to the area to work and allegedly save money to pay for his ailing father’s treatment when he met his untimely death.
According to PunchMetro, the gunmen struck at about 8p.m in the area, shot the deceased and also robbed residents and passersby of their valuables. Wahab reportedly died instantly, while policemen from the Iponri division, who received a distress call, were mobilized to apprehend the gunmen.
However, none of the fleeing gunmen was arrested, but the police recovered Wahab’s corpse, which has since been deposited in a morgue.
Reports say there was obvious tension in the area as most houses and shops were locked. The few people sighted were, however, not willing to talk about the attack; though a member of the vigilance group in the area, who identified himself simply as Ishola, claimed the gunmen were hoodlums from Fagbayimu, led by one John Ibafo. Ishola further alleged that the Fagbayimu gunmen came to attack Railway Line boys, led by one Dagbe Ahmed.
Ishola said, “Wahab was a victim of sporadic gunshots. He was not a member of either faction. Wahab was not married. He lived in the Ibafo area of Ogun State, and sometimes came to Oyingbo to work. It was two days ago that he came again for some bricklaying job and stayed with friends on Daodu Lane.”
Speaking further, Ishola said, “The gunmen invaded the streets on Tuesday at about 8p.m in search of rival gang members. They also used the opportunity to rob passersby and residents. They were shooting sporadically to scare people. It was in the process that Wahab was shot in the neck. He haxwqqd just finished eating dinner when he was shot.”
Ishola also noted that the deceased’s friends he was staying with quickly called the vigilance group and the police that one of them had been killed by the rampaging gunmen, adding that by the time the police arrived, the gunmen had escaped.
One Wale, a deceased’s friends said on a telephone chat that, “Wahab’s father was down with sickness in Ilorin. I can imagine the news of his son’s death would be a bigger blow.
“Wahab was working to get money to take to his ailing father for his treatment. His mother is late. The old man has been sick for several years, and it was Wahab who worked to finance his treatment. He would have travelled to his hometown a day after he was shot.”
Meanwhile, reports also revealed that the cult gangs had also gone on the rampage on Sallah day and looted houses along the Railway Line, during which a police officer, identified as Ugor, who was attached to the Iponri Police Division, allegedly shot himself in the leg mistakenly and had since been hospitalised.
No fewer than ten persons reportedly sustained gunshot injuries and are being treated at some local health centres in the area.
A source, who visited some of the injured persons, reportedly said none of them was willing to talk for fear of being traced.
However, DSP Joe Offor, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), said the police removed Wahab’s corpse, noting that the injured officer was recuperating in the hospital and that the dead body was found when the police arrived the scene.
“There was no exchange of fire as the hoodlums immediately fled the area,” Offor quipped.
Also confirming the Sallah day incident, the PPRO said, “We were able to recover some ammunition abandoned by the fleeing cultists.
“Unfortunately, one of our men is still recovering in a hospital, I cannot disclose. He mistakenly shot himself in the leg during the operation,” Offor stated.
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