- Lagos police identify officer who shot man dead during fuel queue commotion
Eleven persons were feared to have been killed on Wednesday when armed men suspected to be warlords attacked the residents of Inikiri Effium community in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi State.
The people of Effium and Ezza Effium communities in the local government have been at daggers-drawn since January 2021 leading to loss of lives and destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
As a result, some soldiers who were deployed to the community for peacekeeping and were also abducted have not been seen till date.
It was gathered that victims of the attack included children between the ages two and 12 years as well as a pregnant woman who were massacred by the armed persons who invaded the community.
A resident of the area, Pastor Freeman Nwonu told journalists that the assailants invaded the community at about 2 pm and shot sporadically till 6 pm without a challenge from the soldiers stationed in the area.
Nwonu also said that a health center built for the community by an international organisation and about 30 residential houses were razed during the invasion.
“Yesterday being 1st May, 2024, Uffium warlords attacked our people from 2 pm till 6pm and they killed eleven persons and the buildings they burnt there were about 30 buildings including a hospital that was built for us by AMURT Foundation, an international organization.
“The most annoying thing is that soldiers that were deployed there for peace keeping didn’t do anything to stop them. They were there till the end of the whole thing and even denied that nothing happened in our community that yesterday,” he stated.
A community stakeholder, who did not want his name in print, said the incident happened very close to his house and lamented the killings.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, DSP Joshua Ukandu said that information about the reported massacre was yet to get to any division or area command in the state.
“I am just hearing about this on this platform. The information has not gotten to any division or the area command in the state,” Ukandu said.
Lagos police identify officer who shot man dead during fuel queue commotion
In a related development, the Lagos State Police Command said it has identified the police officer who shot a young man, Toheeb Eniafe, at a petrol station on Wednesday.
This was made known in a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin on Thursday.
He said, “The person behind the shooting has been identified as a police officer serving at Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 17, Lion Building, Lagos.
“Investigation is still ongoing and further findings will be made available.
“Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command is working with the family of the deceased to ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice.”
Eniafe was shot on Wednesday at a petrol station belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited at Obalende in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State.
He was reported to have been shot dead while he and some others were resisting the move by some security agents to buy fuel without joining the queue.
